Alone
by lovelovelove22
Summary: We fought. We said things that cut straight to the heart. And we had broken each other. At this point, I should hate Edward Cullen. But what if he never woke up? And how can we fix things if he does?
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a starter chapter to a story line I really need to get out of my head. It won't be updated for a while, but it will definitely be continued, just please be patient. And I'm going to warn you right here and now, I am planning for this story to be a tearjerker.**

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BPOV

Fight. All we ever do anymore is _fight_. It's either about money or our future or the house…it's about anything, really. It's always just about who can hurl the most anger at the other person. And today, I'd say Edward was winning.

"God dammit, Bella, _listen to me_! I'm not ready, okay? I'm not fucking ready for this, so just leave it alone! Stop trying to push this on me, and for once in your life, just shut up!" Edward shouted at me, bringing his fist down on the top of the dresser and glowering at me. I glared back at him, trying to not cry.

Every hurtful word, every shout, every single argument…it cut straight to the core.

I sat cross legged on the bed, gripping the comforter in my hand. "Don't do this." I said in a firm voice. "You're making this worse than it needs to be."

"_I'm_ making this worse? That's rich, Bella. I come home from a long fucking day at work, and my wife drops it on me that she wants to have a fucking baby right _now_, and I'm the one making things worse? Our marriage is already a disaster, do you really think that a kid is going to fix anything?" Edward snapped, and I recoiled slightly.

"Stop yelling at me! I want to have a real discussion with you!" I shouted, and Edward rolled his eyes, grabbed a pack of cigarettes, and stomped out of the room. "Oh, so you're just going to go out and smoke like a fucking baby and ignore me, huh?" I asked, pulling my bathrobe on and following him out of the room and down the stairs. "We're not done talking, you son of a bitch!"

I caught up to him on the stairs, gripping his arm tightly. Once we reached the landing, he pulled his arm away roughly. "I'm trying to talk to you!" I shouted, grabbing at his arm again. "Why the hell are you acting like this? You're such an ass! What kind of husband won't even talk to his wife?"

Edward yanked his arm away once more, and when he turned around to face me, the look in his green eyes was terrifying and menacing. "Fuck you." He snapped, and then turned away from me again and left the house, slamming the door behind him with a loud _bang_.

I stood there in the hallway for a moment, stunned. As much as we yelled and fought, it had never been like this. Neither one of us had ever actually left the house. Edward would usually stomp off and smoke for a little while, but he'd always be back shortly, and one of us would start apologizing profusely and the other would follow. We've been married for five years now, and this is just how things are. It's our own sick, twisted routine.

But I'm not sure when things turned sour. I know that it wasn't there in the beginning of our relationship, that's definitely for sure. When we had first started dating, we had thought we were so invincible. It was like the world was at our feet, and opportunities were ours for the taking. Professionally, we were successful. I taught at a nearby elementary school, and Edward worked in advertisement. We both loved our jobs, to put it simply. But we weren't quite as successful in our marriage. I had never imagined that I would be the type of girl to be married right after high school. Edward Cullen had managed to change that. Seven months out of high school, I was married, in the middle of my freshman year of college, and content.

Again, I'm not sure when things changed. I know that at one point, things had been amazing. I loved Edward, there wasn't a doubt in my mind. So why in the hell did things have to be like this?

I shook my head and slowly opened the front door, hoping that Edward would miraculously show up.

Nothing.

Shutting the door and locking it behind me, I turned around and checked the back door, disappointed to see that he wasn't out there either. I took a deep breath and told myself that he would be home soon and we could talk things out then, if he had calmed down any.

I walked into the living room and curled up on the couch, waiting so that I could talk to Edward the minute he got home.

My friends say that our relationship isn't healthy, and that I should get the hell out of this marriage. But I can't do that. Despite everything, I love Edward more than I can even describe. He's the one person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. We yell, a lot, and although I've slapped and hit him before, he's never laid an unwanted finger on me. He's just not that kind of person.

Wiping tears out of my eyes, I pulled a blanket around me and waited for my husband to come back home.

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I woke with a start, my heart pounding. I squinted up at the clock, groaning when I realized that it was eleven o'clock at night and I had to be at work by eight the next morning.

Who the hell rings the doorbell so late at night?

I bolted off the couch, thinking that maybe it was Edward and he had just forgotten his keys or something. I quickly unlocked the front door and pulled it open, my heart almost stopping at the sight before me. Two police officers, looking exhausted and grim. "Can I help you?" I asked in a shaky voice, praying that Edward hadn't done anything stupid.

"Are you Mrs. Cullen?" One of the officers asked in a kind voice, and I nodded my head dumbly. "Ma'am…I'm sorry to have to tell you that your husband was involved in a serious automobile accident this evening." He said mournfully, and I just blinked.

"No…no, he can't have been." I said frantically, digesting what the officer was saying. "We were fighting, he was supposed to come back." My head was spinning and the other officer gripped my hand gently.

"He and two other people involved in the crash were airlifted to the hospital." She said in a gravelly voice. "We weren't able to identify him at first, and when we tried to call the house, there was no answer." She explained, and I nodded.

Why had I let myself fall asleep? "I feel asleep on the couch after he left around six this evening." I said, panicking. "Where is he? I need to see him!" I said anxiously, grabbing my purse from the hook by the door and slipping on my flats.

"He's at County, Mrs. Cullen." The male officer said, and I pushed past him out the door, turning around briefly to shut and lock the door. My hands were shaking like crazy, I could hardly breathe, and tears were starting to stream down my voice, obstructing my vision. But I had to get to that hospital.

What if something happened, and the last thing I ever said to him was that he was a bad husband? And the last thing he had said to me…well, I didn't really want to think about that right now. "No, wait." The female officer stopped me as I was halfway to my car. "You can't drive like this, we'll give you a lift to the hospital." She said, gesturing to the squad car parked in our driveway. I nodded, wiping the tears off my face with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

The car ride to County Hospital dragged on and on. I cried like a baby, sobbing and blubbering in the backseat of the squad car. The officers were mostly silent, letting me cry out my terror and frustrations. By the time we finally got to the hospital, I had managed to text my best friends Rosalie and Esme, and they had responded immediately, saying they would meet me there.

I…I couldn't believe I was doing this. I'm just barely twenty three years old and I have to go to the hospital and see my husband, who had just been in a 'serious automobile accident'. And he had been airlifted. Didn't that mean it was more serious? Possibly fatal? Oh god, what if Edward was already dead? We fought like cats and dogs sometimes, but there was no way I was going to live my life without him.

After thanking the officers and stumbling out of the squad car and into the hospital, I was immediately found by my two best friends, who had, thanks to the location of their apartments, had managed to beat me here. Rosalie pulled me into her arms in the waiting room, rubbing my back and letting me cry on her shoulder. Esme wrapped her arms around the both of us, and within minutes we were all three crying. We were sent to the Critical Care Waiting room, and that's just what we had to do.

Wait.

I was his fucking wife, why weren't they telling me anything? After throwing up into a trashcan several times, I paced around the small waiting room, at my wit's end. Edward was the only family I had left. I had been moved from foster home to foster home as a child, and Edward's parents had nothing to do with either of us. Neither of us had any siblings, and my only close friends were here in the waiting room with me.

This was total agony.

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**That was a nice little start, no? Please review and this story will be updated as soon as I wrap up a few of the other stories I have going on.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review, and I'm glad you like the story line! This chapter will be sad as well, by the way. It's a pretty sad subject.**

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There was only so much they would tell me. Hours had passed and I still didn't know much. I knew that the driver of the other car had crossed the center line and had hit Edward's car head on. His right leg was broken. He had been hit so hard in the head that the doctors had to actually drill into his skull and relieve the enormous amount of pressure. The airbags of Edward's car had failed. In last four hours, he had to be revived three times. The two people in the other car were in surgery still, as was Edward.

I knew that he was alive. Just barely.

Rosalie and Esme and I sat in the waiting room, all of us crying. My friends didn't exactly approve of Edward's and I's relationship, but they were always here for me, no matter what. I had been here for almost six hours now, and I hadn't been told anything else. Rosalie had called the school for me, and they told me not to come back into school until I was absolutely ready.

Another four hours dragged on. I had gone ten hours without seeing him. I sat like a statue in the waiting room, gripping Esme and Rosalie's hands. Carlisle, Esme's husband, was a doctor at the hospital, and he had pulled countless strings so that we could get the little information we had about Edward. Rosalie's boyfriend, Emmet, had been running all over Chicago, getting us anything we needed and other things we really didn't need. He had brought us food, drinks, books and magazines to read, and everything else he could think of.

But I didn't care anymore. At this point, nothing else really mattered to me.

Less than twenty four hours ago, Edward and I had been fighting viciously. I wanted a baby, he did not. I'm blaming myself. If I hadn't brought up the whole baby thing again, we probably wouldn't have started fighting, and he wouldn't have left the house. And we wouldn't be here.

I glanced up just as a doctor quietly stepped into the waiting room, and I shot out of my chair, knowing that he was here to talk to me.

"Mrs. Cullen?" He asked, looking at me.

"Yes, that's me." I managed to croak, wiping my eyes and sniffling, trying not to start crying again.

The doctor looked at Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmet, and then back to me. "I'm Dr. Gerandy, your husband's doctor. Would you like to go talk in private?" He asked, gesturing to my friends with a questioning look in his tired eyes.

"Um, no…I don't…" I took a deep breath and Esme stood up, grabbing my hand and squeezing gently. "I don't think I can do this without them." I explained quietly as Rosalie stood as well, putting her arm around my waist comfortingly. The doctor nodded, and then reached out and touched my arm.

"Mrs. Cullen, your husband is alive, but only just. The next few hours are extremely critical to his condition."

I squeezed my eyes shut at those words, but tears escaped anyway. He was holding on, but he could also be dead within hours. "Can I go in and see him?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Dr. Gerandy nodded again, his lips set in hard line and his eyes full of pity and exhaustion. "Yes, of course you can." He said, taking a small step backwards. "Two people at a time." He said, looking at my friends knowingly. Esme glanced at me questioningly, and I nodded at her, telling her that she could come with me. "You two can follow me." Dr. Gerandy said, and started out the door.

Rosalie hugged me quickly and pecked me on the cheek before Esme led me out of the room, leading me by the hand. "Honey, I'm sure everything is going to be just fine. Edward is strong." She said in a low voice as we followed the doctor down the hallway. "I'm here for you, okay?" She added, and I nodded stiffly. We arrived at the door to Edward's room, and Dr. Gerandy stopped, turning around to face Esme and I.

"Mrs. Cullen, he's going to look…he's hooked up to…um, there's a shunt in head. He's pretty beat up. I want to prepare you."

My eyes widened. I knew that it was bad, but I had never thought about what Edward would _look _like.

"Come on in." The doctor said, pushing the door to the room open and letting Esme and I walk in before him. I paused two steps into the room, my knees immediately giving out. Esme, who was just about my size, somehow managed to catch me and hold me up. But I started crying hysterically, disbelieving.

This couldn't be my husband. This stranger…he didn't even look like my husband. Tubes, wires, bandages, _blood_. "No." I said through my tears. "No!" I shouted, grabbing onto Esme for support and nearly causing the both of us to fall over. Dr. Gerandy came up and gripped my arm tightly, and I let go of Esme. "That can't be him!" I shouted, kicking and shouting and trying to get any from his nightmare that I was stuck in.

My husband wasn't like this. He was strong and beautiful and so full of life. And this Edward…he was hovering somewhere between life and death. _This _Edward didn't even look like he would be able to make the night. I was wailing and sobbing now, tears streaming down my face so rapidly that I couldn't even see." I was sobbing and screaming loudly, and both Dr. Gerandy and Esme were shouting something.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my arm, and then I felt myself dropping to the ground. But I blacked out before I could hit the floor.

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My eyes fluttered open, and I could feel dry tears caked to my cheeks. I was in Emmet's arms in the waiting room, and everything was coming back to me.

Emmet shifted slightly and I glanced up at him, tears flooding to my eyes again. "Have they said anything?" I croaked, and Emmet nodded gravely. "They had to revive him again." He said hoarsely. "Apparently there was blood flooding his lungs and they needed to drain it. They did, and nothing else has changed.

"What happened to me?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. I was still feeling a little woozy and I remember dropping to the ground in the hospital room.

"They had to sedate you." Esme spoke up from the chair next to Emmet. "You were screaming and crying- you wouldn't calm down. So Dr. Gerandy sedated you and Emmet carried you in here and held you." She explained, and I sat up in Emmet's lap.

I caught sight of a woman and a teenage girl sitting on the other side of the waiting room; both of them crying softly and wiping their eyes. "Who are they?" I asked gruffly, jutting my chin towards them. Esme followed my gaze and looked unwarily at me, reached across and rubbing my shoulder.

"The woman is the mother of the man that hit Edward, and the girl is his sister." She said, and I instantly saw red.

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**Decided to update this story…just because. I have a couple chapters written already so I might randomly update. I went to the doctor today because my back is killing me and I'm contained to bedrest for at least a month, or possibly until my due date if things don't get better.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fanfic has been really weird this past week. Every once in awhile I just don't get any alert emails, and it's completely messed up and retarded. Anyway, there is a little breakdown in this chapter, so I'm going to issue a tissue warning right now. Please please please review!**

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BPOV

I stared at the woman and the young girl, clenching my teeth. "Esme, what exactly happened?" I asked in a low voice, and Esme stood up and sat down in the chair across from Emmet and I.

"Honey, the person who hit him, he was seventeen years old, and he was drunk- his blood alcohol level was apparently way over the legal limit. Apparently, he's still unconscious. There was also a teenager girl in the car; his girlfriend. She's awake and only suffered some broken bones and a concussion." She explained, and I stood up off Emmet's lap, forcing myself away from him. All I could think about was that a stupid, immature, _drunk_ teenager had put my husband in the hospital.

Not at all thinking, I stormed over to the woman and had to restrain myself from punching her in the face. She looked up warily, her eyes bloodshot and full of tears.

"What the hell kind of mother are you?" I spat angrily. "You can't even control your own child!? How does it feel, knowing that your son made the shittiest choice possible and decided to get drunk tonight and drive, and put my husband in a fucking coma? Your _son_ did this to me!" I shouted, trying rolling down my cheeks again. The woman just stared at me, unmoving. Emmet and Carlisle grabbed my arms, pulling me away. But I didn't stop. "I hope your son rots in hell." I hissed viciously, and then managed to pull away from Emmet and Carlisle and escape down the hallway to Edward's room.

I ran in without thinking, without caring what I would see in front of me.

This was my husband. Hurt, broken, and half dead. There was nothing I could do about it; I just had to be here with him. If he woke up…I had to be there. I couldn't leave his side. There were so many things I had said to him- things that I so dearly wish I could take back.

I perched on the chair next to his bed, and gingerly took Edward's limp hand in mine, wiping away my tears with the sleeve of my shirt and then taking a deep breath. I looked at Edward and forced myself to take everything in.

His beautiful green eyes were shut, obviously, and there were various gashes and scrapes on his face and neck. And the bruises…there were bruises littering nearly every inch of his body. His right hand was all taped up, with an IV peeking out from under it. There was another cord leading up to a bag of blood- meaning he still needed transfusions. Dr. Gerandy had said that they had put a shunt in his head, but until now, I hadn't really known what that meant. They had obviously shaved his hair, and wrapped his head in a stark white bandage. There was some kind of tube coming out of the bandage. Another large tube was protruding from his mouth, leading up to what I knew was a ventilator.

My husband, usually so strong and lively, couldn't even breath on his own.

As I stared at him, I started sobbing again, bringing his hand up to my lips and gently kissing his palm. "I messed up." I stated softly, scanning my eyes over him again. "I shouldn't have brought up the whole baby thing again…I knew you weren't ready and I kept pushing you on it. It's stupid, but I thought that maybe me getting pregnant would straighten our priorities a little bit." I told him softly, even though he probably couldn't hear me. "If we hadn't fought…you wouldn't be lying here like this." I said, sobbing softly. "I love you so much."

I'm not sure how long I sat there and cried, but eventually a nurse came in with Rosalie. "Come on, Bella. You really need to eat something and get some rest." Rosalie said softly, gesturing to the nurse, who nodded. I slowly stood up, and Rosalie linked arms with me. "You can stay with Emmet and I tonight." She murmured as we left the room. I cast one more look back at my husband, held back another sob, and followed Rosalie down the hallway. "I don't want you to be alone tonight."

"Thank you." I said. I didn't want to be alone either. It would just be yet another reminder that Edward wasn't with me, and I didn't need another one of those. "I really appreciate it."

Rosalie nodded and then we walked into the waiting room to get Emmet. The woman and the young teenager were still sitting there, and the woman's face became bright red when I walked into the room. "Let's go." I said gruffly to Emmet, but suddenly the teenage girl spoke out.

"Jasper's not a bad person." She started, but I walked out of the room before she could say anything else.

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"Please, Bella, stop crying. It's going to be okay." Rosalie pleaded with me. "Honey, shh." We were sitting on the pull out couch in Rosalie and Emmet's house, crying my eyes out. I was curled in the fetal position, trying desperately not to think about what my life would be like without Edward there with me. I knew that these next few hours were critical, but I couldn't force myself to think about it any longer. My head was spinning; every last fight we had ever had was playing over and over again in my head, and I was finding it difficult to remember anything very happy at all, although I know there were some happy moments of our marriage.

"I brought some water." Emmet said, walking into the room and holding a water bottle out towards me. "Carlisle said that…um, he said you need to keep yourself hydrated." He said.

I took the water from him gratefully, taking a small sip. My throat was raw and sore and my face felt stiff from crying so much. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked awkwardly, taking a small step back.

Shrugging my shoulders, I took another sip of water. "I don't really know." I said honestly, my voice cracking roughly. "I just need…I need to sleep, but I can't." I murmured, rubbing my forehead. "I can't make myself stop thinking…stop _picturing _it." I whispered, breaking down in tears again as Rosalie hugged me tightly. "I don't want to think about it anymore." I sobbed, burying my face into her shoulder. "It was all my fault."

"Oh, Bella, it wasn't your fault!" Rosalie said, and Emmet sat down next to me and uncomfortably patted my knee. "You had nothing to do with it."

Emmet nodded in agreement, but I shook my head, mopping the tears off my face. "We were fighting. I told him that it was time for us to have children…he didn't agree…and then he left. If I hadn't brought up the stupid baby thing, we wouldn't have started fighting and Edward wouldn't have gone out…and then he wouldn't have been hit by that damn teenager!" I exploded, pounding my fist into the pillow I had my arms wrapped around. "I shouldn't have talked about it…I knew that it would end in a fight." I said, even more tears flooding down my cheeks.

"Stop thinking like that, Bella. I really don't mean to be rude, but there's always the possibility that you would have started fighting about something else." Rosalie said, and I glared at her briefly before resuming my crying.

I know that it was true, but having my best friend acknowledge that fact still hurt. I know that we fought terribly, but there was more than that to our relationship. Well…there used to be.

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**Well, what do you think?**

**  
And I'm going to answer a question right here: Jasper Whitlock was the one driving the other car. He's seventeen years old. Alice Brandon is his girlfriend and was the other person in the car with Jasper. Edward and Jasper are both in coma's and Alice is just banged up.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	4. Chapter 4

**I wrote this chapter in less than an hour. Be impressed.**

**I posted some FAQ's to my story 'Letting Go', so if you read that story, you should go and see some of the stuff that I explained for you guys! It's a bunch of questions that I never replied to, but felt that the readers needed to know the answers to. I also updated my story 'In Search of Euphoria' tonight, and my translator for that story should be back at the beginning of February to continue the Spanish translation.**

**Oh, and P.S…this is now one of my main stories, and I will update whenever I have the chance. Like…I'll be updating again tomorrow, and maybe even the next day and the day after that… ;)**

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BPOV

It had been three entire days now.

Edward had been revived twice in these past three says, and I've been a complete wreck. Although both Rosalie and Esme have tried to get to me home, I haven't been able to leave again since the first time. I have been sleeping on the uncomfortable recliner in Edward's room, next to his hospital bed, unable to leave his side again other an to go the bathroom or to get something from the wending machines that were right down the hall.

I had learned that the driver of the other car was a seventeen year old boy named Jasper Whitlock. He and the passenger of the car, Alice Brandon, had gotten drunk and then gone out driving on the goddamn highway. That's when Jasper had put my twenty eight year old husband in a coma. Dr. Gerandy says that although Edward isn't getting any worse, he isn't getting any better, either. They have been calling his situation 'critical, but stable'. And that stupid phrase is driving me absolutely insane.

Now I'm sitting at Edward's side, holding his lip hand and staring off into the distance. I know this is his body- he still _looks _like my Edward, but I feel no pull to this empty, beautiful shell of a man. I miss my husband. My angst filled, temperamental and moody but extremely loving husband. I'll do anything to get him back right now. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to sit here and stare at him; knowing that there is nothing I can to do to help him. I know that I have to eventually get back to work…but I'm not sure I can do that right now. I've been breaking down in tears every half hour or so, and I know that I shouldn't be doing that while teaching. The principal of the school and I have been in contact- the school is being exactly amazing and giving me as much time off as I need. My co workers have also pooled together and donated money, which is much needed. It's no secret that while we're strictly middle class, Edward makes a lot more money than I do, and there's no way that I will be able to handle all of these medical bills on my own.

Reporters have been at the hospital, wanting details about the victims of the big crash. Of course, I've barely been out of the hospital room and I have no idea how Jasper Whitlock's family is reacting, and I am not about to ask. After cussing out Mrs. Whitlock, there is no way I'm going to talk to her or to the rest of her family voluntarily. I've already embarrassed myself enough, although I still believe that my rant was completely and totally justified.

"Are you Mrs. Cullen?" A sweet, high pitched voice pierced my thoughts, and I tore my eyes away from Edward, appraising the young girl that stood in the doorway. She was very short and skinny, with delicate, elfin like features, choppy brown hair, and a cast on one of her legs.

"Yes. Who are you?" I asked suspiciously, not letting go of Edward's hand.

The girl moved further into the room, wringing her hands. "My name is Alice. Alice Brandon." She said, her voice squeaking slightly. "My, um…my boyfriend Jasper-"

"Put my husband in a coma." I interrupted in a cold voice, narrowing my eyes at the girl and looking away from her. She sighed noisily, walking into the room and shutting the door behind her. Alice's hazel eyes took in Edward's mangled body, and she closed her eyes briefly and took a long, deep breath.

Alice sat down in the chair in the corner of the room, looking down at her lap. "You know, Jasper is in a coma too." She said after a moment. "It is terrible, what happened but you're not the only one going through a hard time with this whole thing, because the man I love-"

"The man you love?" I cut her off again, my voice steely. "No. Your seventeen year old boyfriend made a terrible choice and he is suffering because of what he did to my husband." I snapped. "You have no idea what _I _am going through. Yes, your boyfriend is in a coma and that is terrible and unfortunate. But my innocent husband is the real victim here. He didn't deserve this." I said through my teeth, clutching Edward's hand tighter still.

"You think Jazz deserves to suffer because he made a bad decision?" Alice asked shrilly, her eyes widening.

I didn't answer, just glared at her. "Fine." Alice snipped, her seventeen year old cattiness making an appearance. "Let's say my boyfriend is in a coma because he deserves it. Well, your husband is in a coma too. So what did _he_ do to deserve it?" She asked snottily, cocking her head. "Cheat on you? Smack you around?" she countered, and I clenched my fist angrily. This girl didn't even know Edward and I, and she was making terrible accusations. I may be a huge hypocrite, but I really do not think that I deserve this.

So I had to fight back. "Shut up." I said angrily, dropping Edward's hand. "He doesn't deserve this. He is only here in this bed because you and your goddamn boyfriend decided to get drunk and _drive_. Is this what teenagers do these days? Drink illegally and then go flying down the fucking highway? You're seventeen years old, you shouldn't be doing shit like that." I said angrily. "The two of you caused this, and you deserve to suffer because of what you did." I practically screamed, unable to control myself for any longer.

Alice just stared at me, her eyes filling with tears. "You don't know what you're talking about." She said in a low voice, and then bolted out of the room.

The second the door slammed shut again, I broke down into tears, cupping Edward's bruised and bloodied face in my hand. "Why did this happen to us?" I sobbed, leaning over and leaning my head against his chest, careful to stay away from where his stitches were. "I know we fight all the time, baby, but please, if you wake up, I promise that I'll pick less fights with you, and I'll try and be better. I promise. Just please wake up." I begged. "Wake up! God dammit, Edward! Just wake up! I need you, so please, please wake up for me!" I pleaded with him, but to no avail.

My husband was still in a coma. And I was still shattered about it.

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**Please review! It would be much appreciated, my lovely readers!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay in this chapter, I had it ready Friday afternoon but the site wouldn't let me update. So…here's the chapter. And by the way, Bella is twenty three and Edward is twenty eight- five year age difference.**

**I feel **_**so**_** weird not updating 'Letting Go' now that I've finally finished that story up. Now I will be focusing a lot more time on this story, so please review!**

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BPOV

A week. It had been a week, and there hadn't been any other changes. He was exactly the same- no better, no worse. Seeing him lying there helpless was killing me, and I knew that there was still nothing that I could do to help him. What I did know was that I had to get back to work. People had donated money to pay for both medical bills and everyday expenses, but that would only last for so long. I needed to get at least a little more money, and all I could do was start working again.

So that's why I was sitting here at my desk, holding back tears while my fourth graders worked on their spelling tests.

"Mrs. Cullen?" A tentative voice interrupted me, and I jumped slightly, frantically wiping my eyes. "I finished my test." One of my students said, setting her test down on the corner of my desk. "Are you alright?" She asked, and I nodded quickly, wiping my teary eyes again on the corner of my sleeve and giving her a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm just fine." I said, reaching for her test. "Thank you. Since you finished your test you can start reading in your history book, okay? The page numbers are up there on the board." I said, and she gave me an odd look before turning around and heading back to her seat.

The day was dragging on and on, and it was only eleven o'clock. Thankfully, lunch was in twenty minutes and hopefully I would get a little bit of alone time.

No such luck.

The minute the bell rang and my students filed out of the classroom, Jessica Stanley-Newton, whose classroom was across the hall, burst into my classroom. I liked Jessica just fine; she was a friend of mine, but I'm not sure that I can handle her right now. She's a little high maintenance and hard to handle sometimes. "Bella!" She exclaimed, running over to my side and sitting down in the chair by my desk and grabbing my hand tightly. "How are you doing?" She asked, and I bit my lip to stop from crying again.

Whenever someone would mention what had happened, it would make me feel even worse than before. I knew what was going on; I don't need or want any reminders. "I'm fine." I said, taking a drink out of my water bottle.

"Really?" She asked, and I just glared at her.

How in the hell did she _think_ I was doing? My husband was still in a coma, and nobody had any idea when or if he would wake up. "Yes, really." I snapped, and Jessica then recoiled slightly, letting go of my hand and blushing.

"I'm sorry to be so insensitive." She apologized, her cheeks still burning red. "I know that if I were in your shoes, I would never be able to handle it. But listen, Edward is really strong. He'll get through things just fine." Jessica tried to assure me, but my shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks yet again. "I'm sorry, Bella." She whispered awkwardly, patting my arm. "I think I should just go head on back to my room now and leave you alone now, okay?"

I nodded, unable to stop crying. Jessica gave me a warm hug, kissed my cheek, and wiped some of my tears away before giving me some space and letting my cry by myself in this dreadfully empty room.

-----

The second I got off from work, I hurried to my car and drove to the hospital, wanting to go up and check up Edward as soon as possible.

As I walked down the hallway of the hospital towards Edward's room, some of the nurses smiled sadly at me and waved with recognition. They all knew that I was the wife of the coma patient in room 414. Edward looked exactly the same as he had this morning, when I had popped in before going off to work. I took a deep breath and sat down next to his bed, taking his hand in mine, like I always did. I gently kissed his cheek, wishing that he could really, truly be here with me. I missed everything about him.

I had just started grading spelling test papers when there was a knock at the door. I glanced up quickly and my eyes immediately narrowed when I saw Alice Brandon standing there. "What do you want?" I snarled and she quietly walked into the room.

"I wanted to apologize." She said softly. "I know that this is hard for you- but whatever the circumstances, it's hard for me too. You said some very hurtful things to me, but I know how terrible this is. I also shouldn't have said some of those things about you and Edward." Alice said quickly, her cheeks turning pink as she dragged a chair over to my side and sat down. "Like when I asked if he cheated on you or smacked you around…I shouldn't have done that."

We were silent for a moment, and then I looked her square in the eye. "You know, Alice, Edward is the only person I have in this world who really truly loves me." I said quietly. "Yes, I have two amazing best friends, but no one can make me feel as loved as Edward does." Alice nodded, glancing from me to Edward quickly, and then turning back to me.

"What about your parents?" She asked curiously, and I smiled sadly.

"My parents and I have an odd relationship, and we haven't spoken since my high school graduation. They didn't exactly approve of me getting married so young. And they told me that if I did get married, they wouldn't be around anymore. And they aren't…I haven't even told them yet about Edward and…um, and the accident." I explained, gently running my thumb over Edward's bruised and bloodied knuckles as I still held his hand.

Alice nodded, her eyebrows furrowed. "And his parents? Are they here?"

I shook my head again, my heart thudding loudly. "No. I called them, but they haven't called back yet. When Edward was a teenager, his dad…um, his dad slapped his mother around. Edward told them that he was leaving, and that he wasn't coming back. So he did. For the rest of high school, he lived with his best friend Emmet. Emmet's parents let him crash in the guest room for two whole years." I said in a hollow voice, and Alice's face became even more sympathetic.

"That's terrible." She murmured, patting my arm. "Jazz's mom and I have been here every single day."

"I know." I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. "Alice, I really appreciate this, but I need to be alone right now." Alice nodded and stood up, and then gave me an awkward hug.

"I understand. And I really am sorry." Alice said, and I nodded my head in agreement. "But I wanted to tell you that Jasper-" I cut her off, not wanting to know anything about the man I was still holding a vengeance against.

"So am I." Was all that I could say.

-----

My ringing phone pulled me from my deep sleep, and I groaned, sitting up and fumbling for my cell phone, which was sitting on the table next to Edward's hospital bed. "Hello?" I answered groggily, sitting up in the recliner and squinting at the clock. It was two o'clock in the morning.

"Bella? It's Elizabeth."

I nearly dropped the phone.

"Um, hi Elizabeth." I said awkwardly. I had spoken to Edward's mother roughly…five times. From our scarce phone conversations, I assumed that she was a very nice woman, but Edward didn't like to talk about her. I knew that even though her husband abused her, she had stayed with him. I don't think I could ever make myself do that. It was hard enough being with Edward, and our fights had never turned into physical ones.

"Ed and I just got back from our vacation and I just now got your message on the home machine. Oh dear lord, Bella, how is he? Is my son okay?" She asked frantically, talking so fast I could hardly understand her.

I reached over and grabbed Edward's hand in the dark, looking for some source of comfort. "Nothing has changed." I managed to say, biting my lip so that I wouldn't start bawling. "He, um, he's not getting any worse or anything, but he's also not getting any better. Elizabeth, do you think you could come to Chicago right away and see him?"

Elizabeth paused, and I knew that she wasn't sure of what to do. "I'll have to ask Ed…" She said, and I immediately felt sick to my stomach.

Although Edward hated to talk about his parents, I knew that Elizabeth would never go against what Edward Sr. said. She was weak. "Elizabeth, he's your son." I reminded her, my voice hard and cold. "He's hovering between life and death here, and you're concerned about what Ed thinks? You need to see him." I said forcibly, and Elizabeth was silent again.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. What hospital?"

"County." I said, letting out a deep breath, relieved that I had talked her into coming. I had never met Elizabeth or Ed in person, though. Given the circumstances, I had a feeling that this would be a very tough visit, especially if Ed ended up coming along with Elizabeth. "Do you want directions?"

"No, no. I'll pack now and leave right away…I know where County is from when we used to live in Chicago." She said.

I nodded even though she couldn't see me, and continued to hold Edward's hand in mine. "Elizabeth…is Ed going to come with you?" I asked after a moment, and I could sense Elizabeth's contemplation. "I know things between he and Edward are…touchy…but if he does come-"

"I don't know, Bella. Um, I'll talk to him right now." Elizabeth said in a low voice. "I can't wait to meet you, dear. These are such terrible circumstances…but I know that the woman my son chose must be a wonderful one." She said, and I was suddenly tearing up again.

"Can't wait to meet you too." I choked out, tears streaming down my cheeks now. "When can I expect you?"

Elizabeth paused again, and I heard lowered voices in the background. She must have been talking to Ed. There was another long pause, and then Elizabeth started talking again. "Ed's not coming…but I'll be up sometime in the afternoon…would it be possible for me to stay with you?""

"Oh, sure." I said, drying my eyes. "Come to the hospital first, I'll be here all afternoon, and then we can go back to the house." I said, and Elizabeth agreed before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

I set my own phone down again, my mind racing. I moved the chair closer to Edward, taking his hand in both of mine now. "That was your mom." I said quietly, rubbing his hand in between mine. "She's going to be here this afternoon…I know that you said you never wanted to see your parents again, honey, but I think that they really do care about you. Your father may be terrible for hitting your mother, but I think both of them really care about you. You are your only child, after all."

I stared at my husband in the dark for a moment, so wishing that he was here to talk to me. I had always wanted to meet his parents, but that had never really been an option. Edward had wanted nothing to do with them, and except for when Elizabeth would call every Christmas, there was no contact between them and us. I wonder briefly what it had been like for Edward.

We had never really talked about the details of him leaving home. How long had Edward had to endure his father beating his mother? Had Ed ever laid a hand on Edward when he was little? At what point had Edward finally decided that enough was enough?

He had told me that he had tried to convince Elizabeth to leave Ed on more than one occasion, but she had always refused. She was afraid. And when Ed continued to hit her and she stayed with him, Edward had decided that he didn't want to be around either of them anymore. And that's when he had left for good, and he hadn't seen them since he was sixteen years old- it had been twelve years.

I let myself doze off again, and then woke up around six. I ate breakfast, a poptart from the vending machine, and then kissed Edward's cheek before leaving to head home.

In the last week, I haven't been home much. I've only gone there to change and sleep, and I couldn't make myself sleep in our bed; I had been sleeping on the couch in the living room. So when I got into the house, I wasn't surprised to find that it was a mess. I quickly cleaned up, folding clothes and throwing away trash. I had to steel myself before walking into the bed, and when I finally mustered up the courage to do so, I felt my knees go weak.

Being in this room was strange. It had always been _our _room, and it held both bad memories and good ones. Silently, I ran my hand over Edward's side of the bed, closing my eyes. A week okay, we had been in this room together, and we had been fighting over children. Again.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head and quickly changed my clothes, making sure to tidy up and bit as well. Even in this hard time, I still wanted to impress Edward's mother.

By mid afternoon, I was back at the hospital and I felt like a nervous wreck. I was meeting my mother in law for the first time, and Edward wasn't here to make things easier. Instead, he was holding onto his life by a thread in a damn hospital room. I smoothed down my shirt and ruffled my hair impatiently, knowing that Elizabeth would be here any minute. I wasn't feeling any better, but I had tried to look presentable.

Just past two, there was a quiet knock on the door to Edward's room. "Come in." I said, struggling to keep my voice normal.

"Bella?" A voice I immediately recognized as Elizabeth's pierced my ears, and I stood up quickly, not dropping Edward's hand.

A tall, slender woman walked into the room and I knew instantly that this had to be Edward's and Edward had the exact same hair color…if Edward still had his beautiful, bronze colored hair. When I looked at Elizabeth, I saw the same emerald green eyes that my husband could turn me to mush with.

"Hello…Elizabeth." I said nervously, smiling at them the best I could. I knew that my eyes were red and puffy.

"Hello." Elizabeth said, holding her hand out to me. "It's um, nice to meet you." She said, but her eyes were glued to her son, lying there in the hospital bed with disbelief written all over her face.

I knew what she was feeling.

------

"What exactly happened?" Elizabeth asked. We had been sitting in the hospital room for an hour, and it seemed that Elizabeth still couldn't wrap her mind around what had happened to her son.

"He was on the highway, and a car passed over the center line and hit him head on. The driver was a drunk seventeen year old named Jasper Whitlock. He's in a coma too." I explained, sitting awkwardly next to my mother in law. She was holding Edward's hand now, and her sleeves had ridden up to reveal bruises on her pale, bony wrists.

I was trying not to stare, but I had noticed bruises, both old and new, smattered on Elizabeth's skin. They were mostly hidden by makeup, but they were still slightly visible. "That's horrible." Elizabeth murmured, tears in her vivid green eyes. "I would have come right away, but Ed-"

"It's fine." I cut her off, smiling sadly. I reached over and picked a piece of lint off of Edward's hospital gown, unsure of what else to do. "But I am glad that I could finally meet you." I added, and Elizabeth smiled sadly at me, and I noticed the dark circles under her eyes. I knew that I had then as well.

"So am I, dear. I wish I could have met you sooner…gone to your wedding…" She trailed off. "Edward picked such a beautiful woman to marry." She added, reaching over and patting my knee. "So, tell me a little bit about your life with my son. I want to know all the things that I've missed in my boy's life."

I smiled and wiped my eyes. "Of course. We met when I was just finishing up high school, and fell in love soon afterwards. Edward proposed to me a week before my graduation…and I was so, so excited. I started college and we got married in March, and we've just been together ever since. I'm a teacher and Edward is an ad exec." I explained, praying that Elizabeth wouldn't ask for more details. I didn't want to talk to her about my marital problems.

"Bella, excuse me for asking…" Elizabeth cleared her throat and looked at me with pleading eyes. "But has my son ever hit you?"

I nearly choked. "Excuse me?" I rasped, my eyes watering as I cleared my throat frantically.

"I know that you know about what I've gone through in my own marriage, and I just want to know that you aren't being hurt." Elizabeth said in a stiff voice, looking from me to Edward with questioning, guilty eyes.

"He has never, ever touched me." I said in a low voice. "He's not like that. He is a good, honest person, and the very idea of domestic violence is appalling to him, for obvious reasons." I said, and Elizabeth's cheeks flushed bright red. "We have our fights, but I assure you he has never laid a hand on me." I stared at her for a long moment, hating the very idea that she could assume that her son would hit me just because Ed could hit her. "I'm going to get some water." I said, and then left the room with tears pooling in my eyes.

I didn't want to be judged, and I didn't want Edward to be judged. He wasn't his father. And if Elizabeth was so concerned about it, she should have left her abusive husband long ago. I had no idea what kind of things Elizabeth had endured, but I know that if I were in her position, I would have left a long time ago.

How could you stay with someone who beat you? Someone who claimed they loved you, but then hit you?

I walked around the hallway for a little while, not wanting to go back and face Elizabeth quite yet. I passed the open door to a room, and caught sight of Alice sitting inside. I hesitated for a moment, and then stuck my head inside the room. "Alice, hey." I said, clearing my throat.

Alice glanced up and smiled at me. "Oh, hi Bella." She said, but I wasn't looking at her. I was looking at the teenager boy lying in the hospital bed. He was awake, sitting up and smiling uneasily at me.

Jasper Whitlock was awake, and my husband was still fighting for his life.

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**Please review, guys! I made this chapter extra, extra long.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	6. Chapter 6

**I need to warn you that there is some talk of God and religion in this chapter. I'm not stereotyping or trying to push religion on anyone, I swear. This is just part of the story. It's fiction.**

**Some of you also asked about how Edward and Bella met, so I'm including that in this chapter.**

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BPOV

I stared at Jasper for a long moment, tears escaping down my cheeks. How was this fair? Edward hadn't done anything wrong, and he was still in a goddamn coma. Without a second thought, I turned on my heel and ran back down the hallway into Edward's room. I burst in through the door, causing Elizabeth to jump out of her seat.

"Bella? What's wrong?" She asked frantically as I started sobbing loudly, crumbling to the floor and wrapping my arms around my knees. "Did something happen? Did the doctor-"

"He's awake." I blubbered. "Jasper is awake and Edward isn't."

And at that moment, as if things weren't bad enough, I heard the noise of a flatline. I turned around and stared at Edward, shell shocked. He was flatlining. He was dying. I felt like my legs weighed a million pounds; I couldn't move as doctors and nurses hurried into the room. Someone yanked me out of the way and suddenly Elizabeth and I were standing in the hallway.

I was sobbing frantically, and Elizabeth was crying as well as she held me comfortingly. "Come on, Bella." She said after a moment, but I shook my head.

"No, I have to stay-" I tried to go back into the room, but Elizabeth pulled me back.

"Bella, let them do their jobs. There isn't anything you'll be able to do by standing there and watching." Elizabeth said gently, sniffling and wiping her face off. I debated for a moment, and reluctantly let her lead me away. I didn't pay attention to where we were going- because I honestly didn't care at the moment.

When I finally managed to stop crying hysterically and take in my surroundings, I realized that we were in the hospitals chapel. I looked around uncomfortably, relieved that no one else was around to see my breakdown of tears. Elizabeth sat next to me, leaning forward and resting her forehead against the back of a pew. Tears were still running down her cheeks, but she was completely and totally silent in her sadness and pain.

"Bella, do you believe in God?" Elizabeth suddenly asked, shattering the silence as she sat up straight and looked at me.

I glanced at her and furrowed my eyebrows, startled by her sudden question. "Well…yes." I answered quietly, licking my dry lips. "I'm not very religious, but I do believe." I said softly, looking around the peaceful chapter.

"Well, I'm a very religious woman." Elizabeth murmured, her eyes glued to the crucifix at the front of the chapel. "I think that my faith might be the only thing I have left sometimes. When Edward left…I prayed for days and days that he would come back to me. For quite a long time, he was the only reason I hung on." She said in an odd voice, almost like she was talking to herself and not to me. "When I married Ed, I thought my life was working out. I had a husband, my faith, a nice house, and a year later, we had the most beautiful baby boy. But things hadn't been working out for a long time. I kept denying the truth, for years and years. I was powerless against my own husband. Powerless to stop him." She whispered, more tears slipping down her cheeks. Elizabeth suddenly slumped forward, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

Not wanting to interrupt her, I stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. But I always wanted to know what exactly she was talking about. This was one topic that had always been off limits with Edward.

"When I saw him hit my little boy for the first time, I knew that we had to get out of there." Elizabeth continued after several moments. "So we left. But I was a twenty three year old woman with a three year old boy and no way to support myself or my son." Elizabeth stopped again, dabbing at her eyes.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Edward had been abused? Why…why had we never told me? Why had we never talked about this?

Elizabeth was still crying softly as she talked, so I awkwardly put my arm around my mother in law and listened to what she was telling me. "We lasted about three months on our own before I gave up and went back home. When I did, he took my back, and he never touched Edward again. Bella, I know that my husband loves me. But sometimes…he just seems like he doesn't. He hits me, and he yells…and it takes me back to the day that I saw him hit Edward-" She broke off, her voice cracking.

"Why are you still with him? Edward had the courage to leave- why didn't you?" I asked, and Elizabeth picked up a bible from the pew rack.

"I can't survive on my own." She said quietly, and I clenched my teeth together at those words.

"Yes you can." I said sharply. "And even if you couldn't, we would have taken you in." I said in a harsh voice that echoed slightly within the chapel. It was eerily silent for a moment, and Elizabeth was shaking her head sadly at me.

She put the bible back and sighed loudly. "I'm not going to leave." She said in a much strong voice than before. "I can't." I stared at her in confusion, and she continued. "God will help me if I have faith." Elizabeth murmured, and I felt the anger coursing through my veins. _God will help me_.

God sure as hell wasn't helping me any. I started to say something, but Elizabeth suddenly stood up and exited the pew, genuflecting diligently before making her way out of the small chapel. She slipped through the door easily, and then disappeared before letting the door shut after her and leaving me alone.

I sat there for a long time, taking in the peaceful, comforting chapel and thinking all the way back to that fateful meeting that had started this whole thing.

_Flashback:_

"Can I join you?" I glanced up in shock, surprised to see a tall, handsome man standing next to the pew, gesturing to the spot next to me. Unable to speak, I scooted over to make room for him, wondering why he chose to sit right next to me when I was the only person in the whole chapel; leaving all of the other pews totally unoccupied. The man was very handsome, and obviously older than my seventeen years. I'd say that he was somewhere in his early twenties, but I couldn't be sure. From one glance, the handsome man looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "What's your name?" He suddenly asked in a hushed voice, and I jerked my head up in surprise again.

Why was he talking to me? Granted, I wasn't praying, just thinking, but why was he interrupting me? "Bella. I'm Bella Swan." I finally said after a moment, staring straight into his mesmerizing green eyes. They were bright and soulful and glittered like emeralds, but there was still a trace of sadness there.

"Bella Swan, it's nice to meet you. I'm Edward Cullen." He said, sticking out his hand for me to shake. I continued to stare at him, a little put off. What did he want?

I eventually shook his hand and went back to staring straight ahead, trying to lose myself in my thoughts again. But again, he interrupted me. "I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go." He said, probably sensing my discomfort. He stood to leave, but without thinking, I suddenly let my hand shoot up and grab onto his sleeve.

We both looked down in wonderment as my small hand clung to the soft material of his sweater. Slowly, he sat back down, but I didn't let go of his arm. "You weren't bothering me." I said in an uncharacteristically breathy voice. "I…I was just thinking." I admitted, blushing slightly.

Edward smiled and raised his eyebrows at me. "What were you thinking about? You seemed very deep in thought…are you sure this is okay?" He asked thoughtfully, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm sure. And…I was just thinking about some things that don't really matter. School…friends…my parents." I trailed off, blushing even deeper when I realized that I had not released my grip on his jacket. He nodded, leaning back in the pew. Just as I moved to let go of my hold of his jacket, he placed his large hand on top of my small one.

"You were crying." He said in a soft voice, and I immediately brought my hand up to my face, surprised to feel wetness. I hadn't even realized that tears had fallen. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"

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**Please review! I'm going out to dinner so I couldn't make it any longer.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm including more explanations from the past in this chapter to detail more about when Edward and Bella first met and started dating.**

**This is going to be a fairly short chapter, but since I updated this afternoon as well, I think it's justified. **

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BPOV

They had taken him away to get an MRI over a half hour ago, and he still hadn't returned. After his flatline, they had been able to resuscitate him with a defibrillator, but now his doctor was concerned that maybe the swelling in Edward's brain hadn't gone completely down. So he had been wheeled him off to get an MRI and check things out. So Elizabeth and I were sitting in silence in his hospital room, speaking every once and a while about mundane things.

I had never really realized how little I knew about my own husband. I knew every single thing about Edward from age sixteen to age twenty eight, but the bits and pieces I knew about his earlier life were very scarce. And Elizabeth was more than happy to fill me in- she had even brought pictures of Edward when he was a little boy. I was transfixed with the photographs of my husband as a small child. He had the same green eyes and tousled bronze hair, but he looked so innocent and happy. I had never gotten the chance to see him like this…and I was so glad that I finally had a chance to do so. It had taken this horrible tragedy to bring Elizabeth here, but she was really helping.

"Bella, it's still going to be a while." Elizabeth said, glancing at the clock. "Do you think you could tell me a little about when you and Edward were dating? I mean…if that wouldn't bother you."

I hesitated, toying with my wedding band and looking down at my feet. "It's fine. I think that it's actually helping to talk." I said, and then thought back to the early days of Edward and I's relationship. "Okay…I've got a story for you." I said, smiling to myself.

Elizabeth smiled as well and leaned back in her chair, seemingly ready to listen.

"When we met, I was only seventeen years old, obviously, and he was almost twenty two. So things were a little difficult at first. While he was setting some pretty intense boundaries for us, I was trying everything I could to get closer to him." I admitted, ignoring the flush of my cheeks. "We kept things very quiet at first, and didn't tell anyone but my parents. I didn't want to tell them, but Edward insisted that it was the right thing to do."

"That sounds like him." Elizabeth commented softly.

I nodded, smiling sadly and continuing my story in a low, soft voice. "Anyway, I was still only seventeen, but about a month before graduation, Edward took me on this amazing trip to San Francisco. I had never been before, but Edward had gone there for his first year of college, so he knew the area pretty well. It was so perfect…he took me to a beautiful restaurant and then we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge, and then he proposed right then in there. He said that even though we had only been dating for a few months, he knew that he wanted to be together forever." I murmured, trailing off at the end. That moment…that trip…that time in our relationship…it had been so wonderfully flawless.

Elizabeth took my hand. "That's wonderful…oh, I really wish that I could have been in that part of his life. I wish I could have helped him picked out colleges and helped him plan how to propose to you…it would have been so wonderful." She said sadly, and I nodded.

"I do too." I assured her.

"Will you tell me a few other things?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure." I said after a second of hesitation. "What do you want to know?"

She pursed her lips, contemplating. "This is a bit of an odd question, but would you mind telling me if you and Edward…" Elizabeth hesitated, her cheeks reddening. "Did you wait until things were legal before you…" She trailed off, but I knew what she was talking about.

"I didn't want to." I admitted. "But Edward wanted to wait until we got married. He was my first…but I wasn't his. I think he felt a little bad about that, and waiting made it a lot more special for us." I said, uncomfortable talking about this kind of thing with my mother in law. "He was a wonderful gentleman, all through our dating and engagement." I promised her, laughing quietly. "Edward made me happy."

"That's good." Elizabeth said with a knowing grin. "What did you do when you were married and in college?"

I found her interest in our life…refreshing. Nobody else really cared, to be honest. "After we got married, we got an apartment that was near the University of Chicago, where I ended up going to college. Edward worked downtown, at an advertising firm as a paid intern. It was really hard at first, trying to pay for an apartment and groceries and bills…but Edward got a permanent job and a salary bump, which made things a lot easier." I explained. "I had a pretty big scholarship, but we still had to take out some loans to pay for tuition and school books and things like that. Our schedules were tight and pretty inflexible, but we made time for each other." I smiled, thinking back to when Edward would take a long lunch and we would eat lunch together and walk around downtown Chicago. We had been such _blissful _newlyweds.

"Edward had been a little concerned about our age difference for the first couple months…but eventually, I convinced him it didn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother anyone else. Actually…" I stopped for a moment, pulling back the sleeve of my sweatshirt, which had actually been Edward's from high school. "He gave me this. We didn't have a lot of excess money, so this worked out just fine."

Holding my arm out towards Elizabeth, I let her look at the simple braided leather that rested around my wrist. There was a small _E_ charm hanging from it. "Edward has one too." I said, tucking the bracelet back under my sleeve. "His has a _B_, and neither of us have taken it off since we got them. I was worried that it might have…you know, gotten lost our broken in the accident, but I checked right away when I got to the hospital that first night, and he still had it on him."

Even when we were separated by such a seemingly impossible barrier, there were still a few special ways that we could remain connected.

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**Please review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	8. Chapter 8

**I had to do some sketching today while on my stupid bedrest…it took most of my evening. And then I had to eat dinner…so that's why this is a little short. Because now, I need to shower and get some of my beauty sleep. Please review!**

**P.S. Someone asked and I can't remember who- I'm due with a girl on May 26.**

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BPOV

"We thought that maybe the swelling hadn't gone down, but it seems to be fine." Dr. Gerandy said, flipping through his charts. "His injuries are healing well, and we should be able to take his leg out of the cast soon. We took out some of his stitches already, and since the pressure in his head has significantly decreased, we also took the shunt out for good."

I nodded, although I only really got the gist of what the doctor was saying."So you say the swelling has gone done…why isn't he waking up? Jasper Whitlock-"

Dr. Gerandy cut me off, his eyes piercing into mine. "Everyone has a different body, and the brain is a miraculous, complicated organ. When the brain is ready, he'll wake up. Now, all there's left to do is wait. Your husband is now in a stable condition, and he will be moved for the ICU to the Coma Ward on the third floor. "But I assure you, his other injuries are going to heal just fine. Edward will have some very nasty scars, but that's going to be all." I nodded again and remained where I was, perched on the side of Edward's bed.

"So when will he be moved to the Coma Ward?" I asked. "My mother in law and I were just about to head home." It was, after all, almost midnight.

"He'll be down there first thing in the morning. If you come, be sure to visit the nurse's station and they'll tell you where to go." Dr. Gerandy said, shaking Elizabeth's hand and then mine.

"I'll be here." I said softly, and then leaned over to kiss Edward's stubble covered cheek before sliding off the bed and picking up my purse. "I'm going to come every single day until he wakes up." I said definitely. I wasn't about to let Edward wake up to an empty hospital room.

Dr. Gerandy hesitated before leaving the room, his hand on the door knob. "Mrs. Cullen, with all do respect…being here isn't going to help anything." He said in a gentle voice. "You can't wear yourself done like this- I've seen it happen to far too many people. You need to stay strong and try and go through your days with as much normalcy as possible. I know this is a very difficult time for you and your family, but I really think that you need to give yourself some rest. Sleeping in this hospital room nearly every night can't be very comfortable."

He obviously meant well, but I couldn't help but be a little put off. It was basically my fault Edward was in the hospital, and I _needed_ to be here to make sure he was okay. Instead of saying this, I replied very simply.

"Thank you, doctor."

And then I kept my chin up and walked stiffly out of the room with Elizabeth following close behind me.

-----

When we got back to the house, Elizabeth immediately insisted to see pictures of Edward and I. First, I had to take her up into our bedroom, where all of our photo albums were. Then, I had to flip through all the pages to find the pictures for Elizabeth. Edward and I had nothing to do with the scrapbook- we had the pictures developed, but when I had become friends with Rosalie in college, she had been the one to put them together in an album for us.

"This one is great." Elizabeth commented, touching the corner of one of the photographs. It was taken of me and Edward sitting on a bench in Millennium Park. We were both smiling brightly- our temples pressed together and our hands intertwined. "Have you two lived in Chicago since you started college?"

"Yes." I said as Elizabeth continued to go through the pages of the scrapbook. "We got an apartment right outside of campus, and after that we lived downtown…we just bought this house about a year and a half ago." Elizabeth nodded, and then pointed to another one of the pictures. "Oh…that one was on our honeymoon." I said with a smile, examining the picture. Edward and I were on the beach in Barbados, and I was sitting in his lap as his hands slid up the sides of my bikini. "We couldn't go during my school year…so we had to wait until summer." I murmured, my cheeks a little red as I hurriedly flipped to the next page. "Ooh, I love this one." I said excitedly, tapping the glossy page. "It was taken right after we got engaged." The picture was of us right in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. My hand was resting on Edward's shoulder, and my engagement ring sparkled brightly.

Elizabeth laughed softly and smiled, touching the picture gently with her fingertips. "You look so very happy." She murmured, and then continuing to go through the album. "All of these pictures are beautiful, Bella. Thank you for making my son so happy."

I was silent for a moment, her kind words making me feel guilty. I wasn't making him happy anymore. In fact, I was making him _mad_. "We're not so happy anymore." I commented, tears flooding my eyes. "We fight. A lot." I admitted, and Elizabeth rubbed my arm encouragingly, looking at me with concerned eyes. "It's not physical- it's mostly just verbal." I explained. "We fight about a lot of stuff…the house, work…kids." I sniffled and wiped my eyes, and Elizabeth shook her head.

"Everyone has their difficult times, Bella. Edward is going to wake up soon, and things will all work out." She assured me in a soft voice. "I know that my son loves you- I can see it in all of these pictures. The way he looks at you in these…" She touched the album. "It's beautiful."

**-----**

**Please review, my dears. And I'm not sure about updating this tomorrow…I am going to try and update "In Search of Euphoria" instead.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	9. Chapter 9

**We're getting a new character in this chapter, and the timeline moves forward a little over a month and a half, meaning that it has been two months since the accident and Edward has not woken up yet.**

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BPOV

Two months had passed.

Elizabeth had to go home eventually, obviously. I was back at work now, but I still went to see Edward every morning before work for about an hour and every afternoon after work for most of the evening. I knew what I was doing wasn't healthy- I wasn't eating, I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't really taking care of myself. I was just going through the motions now.

Nothing had changed still. No better, no worse…just constant. The coma ward was always eerily quiet, and I hated to think that Edward was all alone here every single day.

I was so familiar with the hospital now, I could probably make my way around with a blindfold over my eyes. It was sad to see all the people who were also here every day. There was an elderly woman who always kept the door to her husband's room open, and every time I walked past, she would be sitting in silence and knitting. There was also a man and woman in their thirties, who always cried. And there was also a young man in his late twenties who came every single day without fail, to sit next to his father's bed. I had never talked to any of them, but I wanted to. I wanted to see how other people were coping while their loved ones were stuck in coma's.

Dr. Gerandy told me that talking to a coma patient could help. So every day I would close the door, shut the blinds, and just talk to Edward like he wasn't in this stupid coma. I told him about my days, about things going on in the world, and about how much I missed and loved him. "And…Rosalie and Emmet are getting married." I told him, sitting on the edge of his bed and holding his hand. "They want to get married in the spring, but they're still not sure about the specifics. I really, really wish you would wake up in time to be there with me. Hell, I wish you would wake up _now_." I whispered. "But I'm going to be here, Edward. Every goddamn day, I'm going to be here with you. Because I love you so much." I kept hoping that Edward would just…wake up out of the blue when I was talking to him- that was my fantasy.

But, of course, nothing happened. He was still just lying there.

So I kissed him on the top of the head and slowly walked out of the room, wiping tears from the corners of my eyes. As I started to walk towards the vending machines, I wasn't watching where was going and I accidentally ran into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry." I said, blushing bright red as I reached out to steady myself.

"It's fine." A deep voice said, and I glanced up to see the man who visited his father every day standing in front of me, rubbing his arm. "Vending machines?"

"Yes." I said, and we walked over to the machines together.

He gestured for me to get something first, and I did so quickly. "I'm Jacob Black." He offered, sticking out his hand after I bent down and picked up my pack of M&M's.

"Bella Cullen." I said, shaking his hand and then stepping aside so that he could get his own snack. "I've seen you here a lot…is the man you've been visiting your father?" I asked, and Jacob nodded.

"Yeah, my dad's been in a coma for about two years now." Jacob said, his voice a little rougher than before. What about you?" He asked. "I've seen you here every day, and I've also seen you stay late at night and every in the morning." Jacob and I sat down in the waiting room, because I don't think either of us really wanted to go back to the dreary hospital rooms, where nothing but sadness and sorrow and pain faced us.

I chomped on a handful of M&M's. "My husband. It was a car crash…two months ago." I said softly, and Jacob nodded his head.

"I'm sorry. I know that this is really hard, especially at first." Jacob murmured, and I started playing with the meaningful, sentimental bracelet on my wrist. "How have you been handling things?"

Again, I ate a mouthful of candy. I knew that I needed to talk about this kind of thing, but it still hurt. "I've been alright." I said in a soft voice. "Things have been hard, but I've been getting through it- my friends have been really amazing about this. What about you? Do you think things get any better over time?"

Jacob squinted, taking a big bite of his candy bar. "I think so." He said slowly. "But circumstances are a little different, I guess. My father was in his fifties when it happened, and he's been a diabetic for almost his entire adult life. This is your husband we're talking about, and I'm going to guess that he's pretty young." I nodded, tearing up a little again. "But yes, I think that it will eventually get better over time."

"That's good. Because this is really hard." I said, my voice cracking. "I haven't been sleeping or eating or taking care of myself…I'm kind of just falling apart here." I confessed. I couldn't believe I was telling all of this to a man who was basically a complete stranger. But he did know some of what I was going through with all of this. "I'm sorry to be dumping this all on you." I apologized, wiping my tears away with the sleeve of my shirt. "I don't even know you."

He laughed softly, patting my arm. "Well, why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get some lunch? We can talk down there and get some actual food in your system."

I hesitated, looking from Jacob to the closed door of Edward's hospital room. "Um, sure. Let's go." I finally said, and Jacob stood up and then offered me his hand. "That would mean a lot to me; to have someone to talk to about all of this." Jacob nodded as we walked to the elevator.

"Well, I'm glad to help you."

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**Don't get all mad about Jacob, okay? You just have to wait and see how is line in the story fills out. I'm pretty sure that, in the end, you're going to be a fan of his character, but his story is going to be a little messed up for a little while. Just don't panic and bear with me. **

**  
Well, you know the drill. Please be nice people and review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's really hard to write this story, just so you know. Put yourself in Bella's shoes and imagine what she is going through- seeing her husband suffer and know that there is absolutely nothing that she can possibly do to help him. **

**And I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, and judging by how things go, I might get off of bedrest earlier than expected! Keep your fingers crossed!**

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BPOV

Three and a half months.

Jacob had practically been my savior. Every day, we got coffee together from the machine in the hallway, and then we would sit in Edward's hospital room and talk. I wasn't willing to leave Edward's side for long periods of time, and Jacob was comfortable with it. We had become very good friends over the past month and a half, and when I was with him, he could make me smile.

But when I was alone…I couldn't stop crying, because I was being ripped apart on the inside.

Had Edward and I done something to deserve this? Because I would give up the rest of my life if I could spend just one more day with Edward, without a doubt. I just wanted him back, in any possible way that I could get him. He was my rock, my salvation, and the love of my life. If he would just wake up, I would make things better. I could try _so_ hard to make our marriage work out. There were so many things I could make better, if only I was given a chance.

"Are you ready to go?" Jacob asked, checking his watch.

"Yeah." I said, gathering up my jacket and my purse. "Would you mind with we stopped by my house first? I need to grab a different jacket." Jacob nodded and we both stood up. I immediately went over and kissed Edward on the cheek. "I love you." I whispered in his ear, and then squeezed his hand gently before leaving the room with Jacob.

We walked down to the parking mostly in a comfortable silence. Jacob was simple and easy going, and it was a big change from how Edward used to be. I loved my husband with everything I had, but I wasn't afraid to admit that he was an extremely temperamental person. Now that I knew a little more about his early life, I blamed it on the things he had gone through as a small child.

Although Jacob and I have become close friends, he's never been to mine and Edward's house. It was _our_ house, and I haven't touched any of his things, except for some of his clothes which I wear to bed.

"You can come in." I told Jacob as I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car. I waited on the sidewalk until Jacob caught up to me, and then I walked up to the house and unlocked the front door with my keys. My hands were shaking a little, but I wasn't sure why. It probably had something to do with the fact that no men except for Carlisle and Emmet had been in the house Edward and I shared- at least not for a very long period of time. "Um…come on into the kitchen." I said awkwardly once I finally managed to get the door open. But then I paused, putting my hand on his chest. "Look, Jacob, this is kind of a big deal for me; letting you into our house. This is my husband's house, and I don't want to talk about his condition in here."

Jacob nodded solemnly. "Okay, Bells. I understand completely. I promise that I'll behave."

Walking into the house, Jacob and I both remained quiet. Jacob took in his surroundings as we walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. "I just have to mail this." I said softly, picking an envelope up from table, along with a letter I had written to Elizabeth and I picture I had found of Edward and I at my high school graduation.

"Who's that for?" He asked easily, glancing at the picture.

"My mother in law." I said, shoving the letter and picture into the envelope and licking the seal shut. I quickly scribbled down the address and messily stuck a stamp in the corner. "She lives in Washington, and she likes to have pictures of Edward and I…she wasn't around when Edward and I met and got married."

He nodded, examining some of the pictures stuck haphazardly to the refrigerator. "Bella? How did you and Edward meet, anyway? Aren't you like eight years younger than him?

"Five years." I corrected. "He's only five years older than me. And we met when I was in high school." I said briskly. "We got married eleven months later and we've been together ever since." I quickly grabbed my other jacket from the back of one of the kitchen chairs and slung it on. "What about you? I can't believe we've been friends for over a month, and I know nothing about your love life. Is anything happening there?"

Jacob chuckled as we walked back out of the house. "Well, there is this girl I kind of like. But she's completely off limits and couldn't ever be with her. So…no. There's nothing at all going on in my amazingly lame love life." He said as I closed the front door and locked up behind us.

I had gotten the feeling before that Jacob had a tiny little crush on me. But I really respected him for never doing anything about the feelings I suspected he had for me. He understood that although Edward had been in a coma for the past three months, I was still a married woman who loved her husband. "Well, maybe you should go out and find yourself a nice lady." I teased as we got into the car.

He just laughed and shook his head, and then we fell silent again. "Hey, Bella…I know that it was hard for you for let me into the house, but thank you. I think that it might be getting easier for you, don't you think?"

"Probably." I shrugged. "I don't know…I just keep praying for the day that he'll finally wakes up. I think that he'll really like you." I said as we drove out of the neighborhood.

Jacob hesitated for a moment, and then glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know, Bells. Don't you think he might be upset to know how close we are? I mean, we're together every single, especially on the weekends when you don't work."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I didn't think of that…I don't know." I said softly.

Would Edward be upset that I had found a friend who understood everything I had been going through? I was trying my hardest to just hold on, and Jacob was really helping me with coping through all the things that had ripped my life to shreds.

I hoped that he would wake up, and I hoped that he would understand.

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**Please review, guys! I love your feedback to this story, and I really appreciate it.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry to say that I have to inform you that there will be no updates from Friday until Sunday night, as I will be out of town with my husband and his siblings, seeing as I was finally taken off of bedrest this afternoon! We're going to be leaving tomorrow right after I get home from work, so that's why I won't be able to update.**

**I'd say that things in this chapter are going to make you both very mad and then very happy…you'll see what I'm talking about.**

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BPOV

Seven months.

"Jacob! Jake, stop! I'm ticklish! Stoppp!" I laughed, wiggling away from him and nearly falling off the couch. He finally stopped tickling me, and I was gasping for breath. "That's not fair; I'm crazy ticklish." I giggled, and then resituated myself on the couch, trying to turn my focus back to the movie we were watching.

He laughed as well and also looked back to the television. "Okay, fine. Tickling is now off limits." Jacob said, holding his hands up in defeat.

We both focused back on the movie, barely touching as we sat next to each other. I was becoming more and more comfortable with Jacob, because he somehow kept me from falling apart. But both of us were adults with jobs and friends, and we couldn't spend very much time together. His father had died two months ago, and we hadn't seen each other for a whole three weeks. It had been terrible for both of us. When he wasn't there to distract me, it was horrible. I would cry uncontrollably, because I could just feel myself falling apart at the seams.

Even when we could hang out, there was nothing and no one who could stop the nightmares I had every damn night. In the worst of my nightmares, Edward never came back to me. He spent the rest of my life in a coma, and I had to watch him suffer day in and day out. In others, I was standing in the street, forced to watch the accident replay over and over again, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Things between Jacob and I had been oddly tense lately. Tonight, Jacob had invited me over to watch a movie, but he also said that he wanted to talk to be about something. And I was really just waiting for what he had to tell me, because lately, all the news I have gotten isn't anything good. Finally, we were through beating around the bush and Jacob told me his news straight out.

"Bella, I'm going to be leaving Chicago in a few weeks." He said quietly, and I stared at him, my mouth dropping open. Jacob flipped the television off and turned his body so that he was completely facing me. "Look, now that my father is gone, I need to move on with my life. I'm twenty four years old and I've spent the last few years of my life sticking around here, waiting for my father to come out of a coma. And obviously, that didn't happen. Bella, I don't want to leave you, but I have to."

"Please don't." I whispered, reaching for his arm and clutching onto him. "Jacob, you're the only one who understands! Rosalie and Emmet are like lovesick fools- all they carry about anymore is their wedding. And Esme and Carlisle, they mean well, but they still don't know what I'm going through."

Jacob inhaled deeply, rubbing his face with his hand. "Come on. I deserve to have a life outside of the coma ward, Bella, and so do you. I needed to take care of my father because it was my duty to, but now I am free to start up my real life. I deserve to meet someone and fall in love, hell, I _want_ to find someone to spend the rest of my life with. I haven't been able to live my life like I need to, and I haven't even so much as_ kissed _a woman in the last two years!"

I didn't want Jacob to leave. I was selfish. I wanted him to stay here and make me feel better, and make me feel like I had some kind of purpose. Before, I was a wife. Now, I felt like I didn't even have a husband. So I chose to do something that made me feel the worst person to ever walk the face of the earth. I kissed Jacob Black. I cheated on my husband, and I was cheating my best friend. Immediately as his lips began moving against mine, I yanked myself away from him, already crying hysterically at that point. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I can't do this…" I blubbered, jumping off the couch and running for the door. I grabbed my keys and ran out to my car, still bawling. I knew Jacob was following behind me, shouting for me to stop and wait, but I kept going. I started up the car and drove straight to the hospital.

It was a miracle that I didn't crash the car on the way there.

I must have been quite the sight- crying hysterically as I burst into the coma ward and into Edward's quiet room. I flung myself to my knees at the side of his bed, grabbing for his hand and kissing his knuckles softly. "I'm sorry. I love you. I…I didn't think, and I should have. I know I shouldn't have let it happen. Please, please don't hate me. I love you more than anything in the whole world, and I am never going to forgive myself for this."

The tears were falling faster now, and my head was pounding. Eventually, I feel asleep like that, clutching tightly to Edward and leaning up against the side of the hospital bed with my head resting on the mattress.

-----

Someone was resting there hand on my shoulder. I jerked my head up, my eyelids sticking to my dry eyes. "I know, visiting hours over…I'll leave." I said groggily, but then the grip on my shoulder tightened. I glanced up into confusion, and found myself staring straight into the confused, emerald green eyes of my husband. We stared at each other, and my jaw dropped. Edward licked his dry lips and cleared his throat noisily. "Bella." His voice was rough and raw, but it was still _him_. He was awake.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. "Oh my god." I said, breathing heavily, disbelieving. "You're awake." I gasped, getting to my feet and bringing my hand up to my chest. "I'll…I'll go get a nurse or a doctor or…something."

He was awake. On the very night that I had cheated on him, he had woken up.

-----

It was like we had just met. Edward and I stared at each other in silence. The doctor had come in to make sure everything was going well, and after an hour, I was allowed back into the room and Dr. Gerandy assured as that with a little physical therapy, Edward would be as good as new. But there was still a pit deep in the bottom of my stomach, telling me that I was a failure as a wife. While my husband had been in a coma, I had broken down and kissed another man.

I moved towards Edward, sitting down on the edge of his bed and taking his hands in mine. He squeezed weakly, and smiled crookedly at me. He looked completely exhausted. "I love you." I whispered, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

"I love you too, Bella." Edward managed to say, his voice still weak and cracking a little bit. "How…how long has it been since…?"

"Seven months." I whispered, nearly breaking down. "It's been seven months."

Edward squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I am so, so sorry for putting you through all of this. I shouldn't have yelled at you that night, and I shouldn't have left." He said, and I ducked my head in shame. "Is something wrong?" He asked, leaning his head back against the pillow and looking at me with concern very evident in his troubled eyes.

"I haven't been doing so well." I whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. "Esme and Carlisle and Rosalie and Emmet have tried to help, but they just don't understand what I was going through, thinking that I would lose you. But I did meet someone who was going through the same thing. His name is Jacob, and his father was in a coma until he died two months ago." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from flowing. "Tonight, before I came here, he told me that he was leaving Chicago so that he could find someone he wanted to be with. And I don't know why I did it, but I kissed him." I admitted.

He stared at me, his eyes narrowing and his lips pressing into a hard, grim line. "So while I've been in a goddamn coma, you've been out whoring around?" His words stung, and I inhaled sharply.

"It wasn't like that." I said, clearing my throat and trying not to cry. "It was a mistake; I didn't mean for it to happen!" Edward rolled his eyes and took his hand out of mine, his eyes practically burning through my flesh.

"Bella, please go home. I don't want to say something to you that I'm going to regret." He said roughly, and I nodded, tears streaming down my face again. "I don't want to fight." Edward said in a quiet voice. "I just need to calm down." I just nodded again, biting my lower lip. Edward sighed loudly, and held his arms out to me. "I love you, Bella." He said in that gravelly voice, and then kissed me gently.

The feeling of his lips on mine once again was indescribable. I had missed every single thing about him.

"I love you too. I'm really sorry." I said, still crying.

He was awake. But I had made a big mistake.

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**Don't hate me, okay? The kiss between Bella and Jacob was necessary to the story line. But please do review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	12. Chapter 12

**Superbowl tonight! Who are you rooting for? I'm a Colts girl, personally. So…Saints or Colts?**

**I'm going to apologize in advance for a shortened chapter, but I'm watching the superbowl and I'm really hoping I can get this finished by the time it starts.**

**P.S. I finally finished my story 'Family Affair' after dragging it on since early September!**

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BPOV

I had come back in the morning, and Edward was still furious with me. "I am so sorry." I started to say, but Edward cut me off. His voice was still gruff and hoarse, but anger also saturated his tone.

"Just shut up and listen to me, Bella." He snapped, and I fell silent immediately, sinking down in the chair next to his bed. "You're my wife. And when we got married, I trusted you to never cheat on me. And in a moment of weakness, you did. And for that, I need time to forgive you. Honestly, Bella, were you even thinking?" he asked angrily, and I winced.

"I wasn't. I was just terrified that the only person who understood was leaving." I explained in a soft voice. "Edward…you're going to leave me, are you?" I asked, terrified, and Edward narrowed his eyes at me.

He took another long, deep breath, and winched slightly. I knew that his lungs were still a little sore, and his throat was all well. Physically, his body was still very tender and needed to heal. "No, Bella, I'm not going to leave you. I love you no matter what. But I don't know if I'm going to be able to forgive you for a long time. You broke my trust, Bella. It makes me sick."

I cringed slightly at his angry tone, but remained silent. "I need some time." He said softly, and I nodded.

"Do you want to talk for a little while?" I asked, and he shook his head without looking at me.

"No. I'm tired. Just go home." He said, and I hesitated.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you- your mom is going to be here soon. I called her after the accident and she came here from Washington…she's really nice." I said softly, and he stared at me for a long moment.

The look in his eyes was unreadable, even though I thought I could read him so easily. His pink lips were pursed and his emerald green eyes were narrowed slightly, and I so wished I actually knew him. "My mother." He stated, his eyes still piercing into mine. "You…you talked to my mother? What did she say to you, Bella?"

"Yes, your mother was here with me for a few days. And she didn't tell me anything that I don't deserve to know." I murmured, sitting down on the edge of his bed and reaching for Edward's hand. He tensed momentarily, but he didn't pull away from me. "Why didn't you tell me, Edward? I'm your wife, you should have been the one to tell me, not your mother."

"I don't want to talk about it, Bella, okay? It was a long time ago, and I don't want anything to do with my parents." Edward said sharply, and I pursed my lips as well.

He was being a child. I knew that things had been terrible for him, obviously, but they had been terrible for me too. After all, if he had died, I would have been the one who would have had to live without him. "Too bad." I said stiffly, standing up and running my hand through my hair. "She'll probably be here in a few minutes." Edward stared at me, his eyes full of anger now.

"Isabella-" Edward started to snap at me, but the door to his hospital room opened and he was cut off. Elizabeth walked into the room, looking nervous but overjoyed. But I couldn't help but notice the faint bruise under her left eye. Edward stared at her, and I knew that he saw it too.

"Edward!" She exclaimed, hurrying to his side and kissing his cheek. "Oh, baby, it's so good to see you!" She gushed, and Edward stiffened yet again. Elizabeth noticed his demeanor and turned to me, giving me a tight hug and kissing me on the cheek as well. "Nice to see you again, Bella. And under such wonderful circumstances." She murmured, and I nodded in agreement. Elizabeth turned back to Edward, her expression hesitant and obviously unsure. "Hi, honey." She said gingerly.

"Hi." He said, his voice even rougher than it had been before.

Elizabeth sat down in the chair next to Edward's bed, and when she placed her hands in her lap, I noticed that she was no longer wearing her wedding ring. But Edward apparently did not notice. "How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked after a moment of silence.

Edward didn't speak, and I reached over and pinched his arm. He shot me an angry look, but spoke. "I'm fine." He said in a sullen voice, looking at his mother for the first time. Their identical green eyes meet, and Elizabeth offered her son a small smile. "Thank you for coming." He finally said, his tone much less hostile. "Um, how are you?" He asked politely, and I took that as my signal to leave and give them a little bit of alone time.

I stood up and kissed Edward on the cheek, quietly excusing myself. Just as I opened the door to the hospital room, I heard Elizabeth say, plain as day, "I left your father."

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**Whew! I got that done with only a few minutes to spare. Please review! I might not be able to update tomorrow, either, but I'll let you know. I hope you all had a very nice weekend, though! I did!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	13. Chapter 13

**I've been so busy lately! This chapter is a little on the short side, but I might udate tonight if I manage to find the time to do so. Oh, and I don't remember if I shared this with you guys- the banner for this story is my profile picture. **

**I thought this story would be a lot longer, but I think we are about half way through at this point, but I'm not exactly sure. All I've got is a rough outline, so I guess we'll just have to figure it out along the way.**

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BPOV

I couldn't believe what I had just heard Elizabeth say to Edward. She was _finally_ getting out of her abusive marriage, after almost thirty years. I wondered if this would be what Edward needed to allow his own mother to be a part of his life again, because it was obvious that she wanted to be involved in his, well _our_, life now. It had been twelve long years since they had even seen each other, and I've always wondered if he's missed her. After all, I still remember Edward and I's first Christmas as a married couple. At that point, I had known that he had his parents were estranged, but I had never expected Elizabeth to call the house on Christmas morning.

_Flashback:_

"Thank you." I murmured. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to get the phone." I kissed Edward gently on the lips and got up off his lap, heading off into the kitchen and looking over my shoulder at my husband and winking as I did so.

It was Christmas morning, and I was so happy. Edward and I had been so happy in these past few months, and I had never been so excited in my adult life to wake up so early. I was only nineteen years old and I was in the middle of college, so obviously we didn't have a lot of money to spare. But Edward had been able to make Christmas amazingly special, and I had no idea how he had been able to pull it off.

Hurrying into the kitchen, I pulled the phone off the hook and answered it, lodging the phone in between my shoulder and my ear. "Hello?" I answered, biting on my thumbnail and picking a bagel up off the counter.

"Oh, hello…Do I have the right number? I'm looking for Edward…Cullen." The woman's voice was hesitant and unsure, and I stiffened immediately, and then relaxed. It wasn't like Edward would ever cheat on me. He wasn't that kind of person. Edward had sworn to me that he wasn't going to be the kind of husband that his father had been.

"Yes, you have the right number. Do you, um, want to talk to Edward? He's in the other room."

The woman paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "I'm sorry, but can I ask your name?"

"Oh." I cleared my throat, wondering who the hell this woman was. "I'm Bella."

"Bella who?" The woman persisted, and I furrowed my eyebrows at how nosy she was being.

"Bella Cullen. His wife." I said slowly. "May I ask who you are?"

Again, the woman paused, and now I could hear the pain in her voice. "I'm Elizabeth, his mother. He…he didn't even tell me." And then she had hung up, and hadn't called again until the next Christmas.

Unfortunately, the next Christmas had been a little less happy for us. That was when things had started to tense up in our marriage, but again, we had managed to make Christmas happier than the rest of our days. And once again, the phone had started ringing and I had gone to answer it. I had wondered if Edward's mother would call again, and sure enough, she had.

"Hello?" I answered the phone and glanced into the living room where Edward was sitting. And he was watching me, wanting to know what I would say to his mother.

"Hello. Is this Bella?" Sure enough, it was Elizabeth calling. I looked into the living room again and Edward raised his eyebrows slightly, silently asking me if it was his mother calling. I nodded once, biting my lower lip as a frown overtook his features and he slumped back into the couch.

So I just focused on the phone call. "Yes, this is she." I answered in a sweet voice.

"This is Elizabeth…Edward's mother. Look, I know he probably doesn't want to talk, but will you please tell him I say Merry Christmas?" Her voice was soft and hesitant.

"Of course I will, Elizabeth. Merry Christmas to you as well."

And Elizabeth hung up, and we didn't hear from hear from her again until the following Christmas. And she called every single Christmas from then on, never asking to talk to Edward, always just asking me to pass along a kind message.

_End Flashback_

-----

After an hour or so of sitting in the waiting room, I saw Elizabeth leaving Edward's room, smiling. She didn't see me, just walked towards the elevator and disappeared from sight. I waited several more moments, and then got up and walked into Edward's room, pausing in the doorway and staring at my husband.

He glanced up and me, and then patted the side of his bed, gesturing for me to sit down next to him. I did, and he slowly put one of his arms around my waist. "One of the nurses told me that you were here constantly." Edward murmured. "That you never gave up." He cleared his throat, and then pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder. "Thank you. And I'm sorry."

-----

**I've got to make some dinner and then get a few things done for work. I might update again tonight when I watch American Idol with my husband and the man child brigade.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	14. Chapter 14

**You know what's a really good story? "The Tutor" by Itzmegan73. I absolutely love that story…just discovered it earlier today and haven't been able to stop reading. **

**I also wanted to let you know that there is not going to be any EPOV in this whole entire story. It's all going to be BPOV.**

**Oh…and Ellen is amazing on American Idol- just saying!**

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BPOV

"So…do I get to know what your mom said?" I asked after a little while, running one of my hands through Edward's hair. He just pursed his lips, and I sighed. "Edward…I'm your wife. Believe it or, I care about your family. I care about _you_." I said, and he nodded his head and I shifted uncomfortably so that I was facing him completely.

Edward ran one of his hands through his hair and I smiled as he pulled me a little closer to his warm body. "She told me that she's sorry she didn't leave earlier, and she told me that she left my dad last month after she found out he was cheating on her." He was quiet for another long moment, and I saw the discomfort in his eyes. "And then she told me how _amazing_ my wife is and how lucky I am to have her." Edward paused yet again, smiling crookedly at me. "I agree with that, just so you know." He said in a low voice, and I managed to smile at him.

"Mr. Cullen? Are you ready to go to physical therapy?" A nurse that I had come to know over these past few months, Angela, interrupted us, smiling sweetly. Edward made a face and groaned, and I giggled and pinched his elbow playfully.

"Yeah, I guess." Edward sighed, and Angela glanced at me.

"Bella, why don't you go home? You've been here constantly." A look of guilt washed over Edward's face as Angela said that, and I got up off the bed and gathered up my coat and purse.

"I'll be back around dinnertime, okay? Good luck." I said, pecking Edward on the lips and stroking his stubble covered cheek briefly.

He nodded and Angela and I helped him get out of the bed before he kissed me again. "Bye, Bella. Love you." He said, and I left the room.

-----

I stood restlessly on the porch, wringing my hands after I rang the doorbell and waited for Jacob to answer the door. I needed to talk to him and to set things straight. The door suddenly swung open, and I took a small step back. "Bella." Jacob's eyes widened slightly, but he stepped aside and let me walk into the house. He kissed my cheek as I passed him.

Stopping in the entryway of his house, I crossed my arms over my chest and turned around to face Jacob just as he shut the front door. "I kind of need to talk to you." I said in a hushed voice, and he nodded, not speaking. "Edward woke up." I started. "And I told him that I kissed you. He's mad…but we're going to work things out. I don't want to be sending any kind of mixed signals." I spoke quickly, wanting to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible.

"Okay." He said simply. "I…I understand what you're saying. You're a special girl, Bella. I hope Edward knows that."

"He does." I said sharply. "Thank you so much, Jacob. I really do appreciate all that you did for me these past couple of months. You were an amazing friend. I hope things go good for you." I spoke formally, and Jacob scrunched his eyebrows together.

"Yeah, you too." He shrugged, and I was a little put off by his casual, nonchalant behavior. "So…I guess this is goodbye." He kissed my forehead stiffly and squeezed my hand before opening the front door for me and letting me leave him forever.

-----

"Physical therapy is a bitch." Edward grumbled, groaning as he gingerly flexed his leg and tossed his head back into the pillow, pain etched on the features of his face.

"Yeah, and it's expensive, too." I said sourly, not looking up from the corner, where I was sitting in a chair and attempting to pay some bills. Edward sighed and I glanced up at him. "I don't mean to be pushy like this…but do you know when you'll be able to get back to work?" I asked hesitantly and Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"My physical therapist didn't say, Bella. But it can't take too long…it's not like my job requires any physical exertion or anything…it's just some goddamn advertising crap." He said, obviously a little agitated and tired thanks to the therapy. I nodded, biting my lip and looking down at the bank statement that I had brought along with me to the hospital. "What's that?" Edward asked warily, and I rubbed my forehead.

I didn't want to cause him anymore stress than he needed, but he _did_ need to see this. "Bank statement." I said shortly, and I heard Edward's breathing hitch slightly.

"Can I…see it?" he asked, and I nodded standing up and walking over to him, perching on the edge of the bed and dropping the statement on his lap. Edward picked it up and his eyes narrowed when he saw what it said. "Fuck." He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping the statement again. "Bella…this is bad." He murmured.

Nodding in agreement, I picked up the paper and crumbled it up in my hand. "I know. I tried, Edward, I really did. It's just that my salary is shit and medical bills are so expensive-"

"I'm not blaming you for any of this." Edward interrupted me quickly. "I think that you've done amazing for being able to keep up afloat for this long." He paused, and then spoke again. "Bella, do you think that my mom can stay with us for awhile?" He asked suddenly, and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Of course she can!" I said, a little startled. "I told her that before." I added softly.

Edward nodded, taking the crumpled bank statement out of my hand and smoothing it out a little. "Good…because she told me that she would help out with money problems, if we needed it."

"We definitely do."

------

**Bed.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	15. Chapter 15

**Do you think you guys to do me (and this website) a favor? Go to ****Shortbritches85's profile, because she has a petition going to get an NC-17 rating available on fanfiction. Way too many amazing stories, such as The Training by tarasueme, are being pulled from the website. Go to Shortbritches85's story 'Petition' and sign a review.**

**I've got a new idea for a story floating around in my head- it's a story based on a bunch of Taylor Swift girls. I'm usually not into that kind of music, but I really like her songs. Anyway, the story **_**won't**_** be a song-fic, and when it eventually gets uploaded, it'll be called 'Best', so keep an eye out for it. So far, the chapters will be based on these songs (in this order):**

**Tell Me Why, White Horse, I'd Lie, You're Not Sorry, Invisible, Teardrops on My Guitar, and Today was a Fairytale. The rest is yet to be decided. **

**So…can you figure out what the story will be about?**

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BPOV, One Month Later

Finally, we had gotten Edward out of the hospital. After almost an entire year of this, today was the day that he was finally able to come home. Elizabeth had been staying in the spare room for the past month, and she's going to continue to do so throughout her divorce. One thing I can say for Ed is that he's not being a complete ass over the money that he most certainly owes Elizabeth. And thanks to that, she has been able to help us out with our money problems.

"Welcome home!" I said happily, pushing the front door open and letting Edward walk into the house before Elizabeth and I did. Edward smiled and kissed me on the lips as we walked into the living room together. "Are you hungry? Your mom made lasagna last night, and we still have leftovers-"

"No thank you." Edward interrupted me. "I think…I just want to get some sleep." It was then that I remembered how tired he must have been, and I noticed the dark bags that lingered under his drooping eyes. "I'm just going to go to bed." He mumbled, giving me another quick kiss and then giving his mother a slightly awkward hug. He then walked upstairs and was out of sight.

Elizabeth and I smiled at each other, and she squeezed my shoulder. "I'll heat you up some dinner, Bella. Why don't you go and make sure he's comfortable?" She suggested, and I agreed, heading upstairs after Edward.

I poked my head into the bedroom just as Edward was pulling his shirt off over his head. I hadn't seen his bare chest in almost a year and…oh _my_. You would think that after all this time, there would be no muscle definition left…but it was definitely still there. Granted, it was not as defined, but it was still prominent. Edward must sensed me staring at him, because he glanced up at me with a smirk on his face. "Do you have everything you need?" I managed to ask, and Edward nodded, dropping his shirt in the hamper and then discarding his pants nonchalantly.

Oh _my_. Edward in boxers…it was even better than I remembered. "Hurry up and eat your dinner so you can come to bed." He said, crawling under the covers on his side of bed and smiling in contentment. "I missed this." He whispered, his eyes still closed.

"I missed _you_." I said softly, walking over and giving him a kiss.

Edward opened his eyes slightly. "I missed you too." He reached up and stroked my cheek, then his hand travelled across my jaw and to the back of my neck. He pulled me down to him so that I was straddling his chest as we kissed. Our kisses started out chastely, but they soon grew in passion and intensity. I wasn't lying when I said I had missed Edward more than I could even describe.

I had missed _everything_. They way he looked, the way he smelled, the way he kissed me, the way he looked at me…every single thing about him. This was why Edward and I were meant to be together no matter what- I couldn't imagine my life without him and I refused to even try. Suddenly, Elizabeth's voice drifted up the stairs, making Edward and I instantly stop kissing, panting slightly.

"Bella? Your food is all heated up!" She called, and Edward sighed against my lips, kissing me one last time before I pulled myself away from him.

"I can't believe I was just cockblocked by my mother…I feel like a fifteen year old." He grumbled as I stood up and fixed my rumpled hair. I laughed and Edward curled up in bed, closing his eyes again. "You're going to hurry and come back to me, right?" He asked me, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Of course I am." I assured him as I walked out of the room. "Love you.

"I love you too." Edward mumbled, and I knew that he had probably fallen asleep before I had even made it down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Elizabeth was looking at me knowingly as I sat down at the kitchen table and started to scarf down the food she had heated up for me. "Edward's happy to be home, huh?" She asked, a playful twinkle in her bright green eyes. Every single time I looked into her eyes, it was like Edward was looking back at me.

"Yes." I said simply, ducking my head as I felt a warm blush spread across my face. "I think we're going to be okay." I added with a soft whisper, and Elizabeth reached across the table and took my hand.

"You will be. I can tell that you two love each other." Elizabeth assured me. "And I wanted to tell you thank you for…for letting me stay with you two. This has just been a really hard time for me." I nodded, knowing that this definitely was hard on Elizabeth. Her husband, whom she had stayed with through years of abuse, had cheated on her without a second thought. That was one of the darkest kinds of betrayal. I was so glad that she had finally gotten out of that disaster of a marriage.

I stiffened slightly, remembering how bad my own marriage had been before the accident. How was it possible that neither of us had brought that up? We couldn't just ignore the past, we needed to address all that we had said to each other. But for now, I just wanted to let him rest.

-----

I slid into bed, smiling in pure bliss as I snuggled up against Edward. I smiled even wider when he suddenly wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "You should be asleep." I scolded him gently, loving the warmth that he exuded.

"I was waiting for my wife." He mumbled groggily, pulling me flush against him so that my back was pushed up against his bare chest. "I've been lying in a bed without her for way too long." He explained, and I turned my head and kissed Edward's jaw before settling back against him and closing my eyes.

"Funny, I feel the same way about my husband." I said softly, and Edward chuckled, and then we fell silent and both of us drifted off to sleep.

-----

**I'm going to try and update 'In Search of Euphoria' tonight…and it will be the finale!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	16. Chapter 16

**I just finished my story 'In Search of Euphoria'. I updated the very last chapter earlier this evening…so go read it if you have time!**

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BPOV

I woke up the next morning and couldn't remember a time that I had felt happier. I was wrapped in my husband's arms in bed after being away from him for far too long. Edward stirred a few minutes after I woke up, and smiled down at me. The bruises that had covered his face after the accident were completely faded now, but the scars above his right eye, on his temple, and under his ear were still prominent and scary. I gingerly reached up and stroked the scar under his ear, and Edward's face darkened.

"Do they bother you?" He asked in a hushed voice, and I shook my head.

"No." I whispered. "I…I'm proud of them. You're a fighter, Edward. And these show that you fought and you survived it."

Edward chuckled darkly and ran his hand through his hair. Then something on his nightstand caught his eye and he grinned widely. "Cigarettes! Oh dear god I missed my cigarettes." he said happily, and I immediately bit my bottom lip. Edward immediately pulled out a cigarette and reached for his lighter, and I couldn't handle that.

"I thought you were going to quit." I said softly, and Edward froze with the cigarette already between his lips and the lighter only a few inches away from the tip. "It's not good for you, and you know that. Edward, you were just given a miraculous second chance to live. Don't mess it up by starting to smoke again." I leaned over and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "It's time to stop." I said in a firm, quiet voice.

He glared at me for a moment, but tossed the pack of cigarettes to the side and also put the lighter back on the nightstand. "Fine." He said shortly. "Do we still have any Nicorette shit left from the last time I tried to quit?" He asked grumpily, kissing my forehead before rolling out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweatpants and an old tee shirts.

"It should be downstairs." I said, sitting up in bed and stretching my arms over my head. "Toss me my robe, would you?" I pointed to my bathrobe, which was hanging on the doorknob to our bathroom. Edward nodded and threw it towards me. I slipped it on and got out of bed as well, holding my hand out towards him and smiling. Edward took my hand and smiled back, although I saw his eyes dart back to his cigarettes one more time. "Let's go get some breakfast…I'm not sure if your mom is up yet though."

"My mom wakes up early single morning at six o'clock." Edward informed me as we walked down into the kitchen. "At least…um, she used to." He amended.

But sure enough, when we got into the kitchen, Elizabeth was standing at the stove, making breakfast. She glanced up when we entered the room, and smiled widely at us. "Are you two hungry?" She asked, turning back to the stove and heaping eggs onto two plates for Edward and I. "Edward, you still like your eggs scrambled, right?" Elizabeth asked anxiously, and Edward simply nodded his head in response.

It was obvious that he was still a little uncomfortable around Elizabeth, his own mother. But I did understand why he was like that. Twelve, almost thirteen, years is a long time. And when Edward had left home as a sixteen year old, he had expected to never see his mother again. And now, she was sort of just thrust back into his life. Elizabeth slid plates heaping with food in front of us, and both of us tucked in. She got herself a plate as well and sat down next to me, between Edward and I. "What are you plans for today?" Elizabeth asked after a moment, glancing between the two of us.

"Not sure." Edward said, taking a gulp of his coffee. "Bella? Any plans?"

"I need to go to the store, but you don't need to come-"

"No, I will." Edward interrupted me, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Edward _hated _to go grocery shopping. He always had. Now, I wondered why he wanted to go. Did he want to spend time with me? Or did he simply want to avoid being alone with his mother again? I really hoped it was the first one. Because I knew that I wanted as much time as possible with him before he had to go back to work and things would return to the old ways.

But I wasn't going to let things get that bad again…I couldn't do that. Besides, Elizabeth would be in the house now, and I really didn't want to fight with her around.

-----

That night, when I slid into bed, I couldn't believe how badly I _wanted _my husband. But…he was supposed to be recovering from a goddamn coma; he wasn't supposed to put a great deal on his body.

Well…screw that. I had to be with him. I needed to. Without warning, I rolled on top of him, propping myself up on my elbows so that my weight wasn't resting on Edward's body. When I started kissing him, I knew he was startled by the sudden attack. But he definitely didn't mind me shoving my tongue into his mouth. Anxiously, my hands fumbled with the waistband of his boxers, and I finally managed to pull them down. That's when Edward tried to stop me.

"Bella, we can't-" He protested, but I could see, not to mention _feel_, his desire for me.

"Just lay back." I said in a husky voice. "And try to be quiet." I added, yanking my own pants down and kissing him again, with even more force than before. "I've missed this, too." I said as I pulled away from his mouth and started to kiss down his stomach. I was grinding against him and biting my lower lip to stay quiet, but it was getting to be too much. And apparently, Edward felt the same way.

"Please say you're ready." He rasped out, and I nodded feverishly. Edward grinned and without warning, he managed to pull me down onto him, causing both of us to cry out loudly. "Shh." He shushed me and gripped my hands as I started to move over him, tossing my head back in pure pleasure. It had been too long. Way, way too long.

Being with him like this, in the most intimate possible, made me know that we _could_ work things out. If we tried, we could get out of his endless cycle of fighting and yelling and hurting each other. He was the most wonderful man I had ever known, in nearly every single way.

-----

**Don't worry, there will be more detailed lemons…I just didn't want to detail this one and make it really dirty or anything like that. Now…I'm going to get some sleep.**

**Please review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hope you all had a very happy Valentine's Day! Sorry for the little detail with this, but I was busy and stuff and decided to update 'Chemicals' instead. I've also started another new story, and it's called 'Best'. It has three chapters already, so go and check it out! It's**_** not**_** a song fic, but it is based on Taylor Swift songs. It starts with 'Tell Me Why', and then 'White Horse', and then 'I'd Lie'. The next chapter, which I haven't written yet, is going to be 'Fifteen'.**

**Sorry for a short chapter.**

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BPOV

"Bella, has Edward been acting differently?" I jumped slightly at the sound of Elizabeth's voice; I hadn't heard her come into the kitchen. It was six o'clock in the morning and I hadn't been able to fall back asleep. Elizabeth poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to me at the kitchen table, looking at me with concern in her eyes. "You told me about what was going on before the accident. Has everything just miraculously gotten better?" She asked, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"_No_." I finally admitted in a whisper. "We haven't even really talked about…I don't even know what we do talk about. It's just small talk." I confessed, and Elizabeth pursed her lips. "I feel like he doesn't even want to acknowledge it, but _I_ do. I want to make sure it doesn't keep happening because when things were like that, it was just really hard. For both of us. But I also feel like I should let him rest and get better before bringing the whole thing up." I paused, shaking my head. "But then again, I can't let it go for too long…I just don't know what to do."

That was true. I felt totally and completely lost. I was so deliriously happy to have Edward back to me in one piece, and I had overlooked so many things. How were we ever going to work things out? Sure, things were good now, but we couldn't ignore what had happened for much longer, because I know that if we do, it's just going to happen all over again. And I can't put myself, or Edward, through all of that again.

Elizabeth was trying to help, and I appreciated that, but she really had no idea what was going on. All she had seen were the small, trivial fights that Edward and I had after he had come home. Things like picking up laundry or going back to work or where to go for dinner. Those fights were nothing compared to the ones we used to have…the ones that had basically defined our entire marriage.

"Maybe you could talk to him." Elizabeth suggested weakly, and I sighed.

"I don't know…maybe. I really, _really_ don't want to fight." I murmured. "But I do want to fix things."

"If you have to fight to fix things, then you really do need to get this all sorted out." Elizabeth said firmly. "Look, my marriage was bad as well, I'm not even going to deny that. But I don't want my son to be like his father. And I really don't want the two of you to go down the same path that Ed and I did." She said calmly, taking a small sip of her coffee. "You're going to dinner with your friends tonight, right?" I nodded. "Well, I'll make sure to be out of the house when you come home, and you guys can have some time to talk about the things that you need to. I imagine it's hard to do that when I'm in the house." Elizabeth smiled sweetly at me, and I felt like at least a little bit of the weight on my shoulders had been taken off, thanks to my mother in law. I hadn't even known her for a year, and her she was, already trying to fix my screwed up marriage to her son.

"It has been a little hard to…talk." I admitted, looking down at my coffee instead at of at Elizabeth. "But thank you, I really appreciate it."

Just then, I heard footsteps on the stairs and I turned around in my chair to see Edward come down the stairs. His hair was standing up at all angles and he smiled crookedly before heading to the coffee maker and pouring himself a large mug. He then sat down at the table across from me and raised his eyebrows. "I woke up, and my wife wasn't in bed." Edward said groggily, and I smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, baby." I said with a smile, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand. "I couldn't sleep so I just decided to wake back up."

Edward nodded and took a large gulp of his coffee, wincing slightly at its temperature. "I'll drive you to work this morning." He offered, and I smiled at him. It was nice for Edward to be like this, to be like he had been when we first got married. I loved Edward, but it was even better when he was attentive and caring like he had been acting lately.

"That would be great." I said, checking the time. It was almost six thirty now, and I needed to get ready to go into work. "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready. I'll be done a little after seven, and then we can grab some breakfast on the way." I got up from the table and put my cup on the counter before heading over to kiss the top of Edward's head and then retreating upstairs.

This Edward was amazing…but I kind of wanted my _husband _back. Yes, we fought terribly, but I didn't have to beat around the bush. Now, I was just wondering where things stood.

-----

**Nothing else to say.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	18. Chapter 18

**Whew. Another delay in updating, but this chapter should be fairly long. At least I hope it will be!**

**Please review, and tell me what you thought. I also need your opinion on something… **

**Do you want Jacob brought back into this story?**

-----

BPOV

"I can't _believe _you got drunk." I muttered, trying to support Edward as we made our way back up to the house. My heel nearly caught in the crack of the sidewalk, but I managed to recover and basically drag Edward to the door. I started fumbling with my house keys, and then eventually was able to unlock the front door while still trying to hold Edward upright. I really wished that I had taken Emmet up on his offer to drive Edward and I home…Emmet would at least have been able to support Edward's weight.

The house was still dark and quiet, so I knew that Elizabeth wasn't here to witness her son's drunken stupor. Edward usually didn't have a lot to drink, but when he did…he was sure to make it count. "Edward." I hissed, yanking him into the kitchen. "Come on, Edward, drink this." I urged, sitting him down at the table and then pushing a glass of tap water into his hands. Edward drank the water sloppily and then dropped the cup on the table, slumping over on his elbows. I sighed and stood up, taking the cup and refilling it before handing it back to Edward.

"I'm…sorry." He murmured after draining this glass as well.

"It's fine." I said softly. "You're fine." I took the glass again, setting it on the counter. "Are you sleepy? Do you want to go to bed?" I asked. Edward closed his eyes briefly, and then nodded his head. He managed to stand up on his own, but needed my help to get upstairs and into bed. After he crawled under the covers and looked up at me sleepily, his green eyes were half closed already. "Goodnight." He slurred quietly, and then rolled over on his side. I leaned forward and tucked Edward's blankets in around him, and then kissed his cheek, right over his scar, before leaving the room and closing the door behind me.

When I got back down into the kitchen, Elizabeth was just walking in. I opened my mouth to ask her about her evening, but I was cut off my the telephone ringing loudly. I grabbed it before it could disturb Edward, and answered quickly. "Hello?" It was Rosalie, wanting to know if we had gotten home alright. "No, Rose, we got home just fine." I assured my best friend. I paused, listening to Rosalie's rant about how both Emmet and Edward had gotten completely plowed, while Esme, Carlisle, and the two of us hadn't had much to drink. "He went straight to bed…thanks again." I hung up the phone and turned Elizabeth, smiling apologetically.

"What's up?" Elizabeth asked as I started to clean up the kitchen.

"Oh, Edward and Emmet both had a little too much to drink tonight." I said with a grimace. "But I think Edward had more than enough for all of us there tonight. He's…he's acting a little differently still." I explained and Elizabeth nodded and started helping me dry the dishes. "I get that he's been through hell…I've been through it too. But he needs to grow up and get back on track." I said, scrubbing the dishes vigorously. "But on the plus side, he's going to stop smoking."

Elizabeth made a face, shuddering slightly. "Nasty habit." She said. "I suppose he must have gotten that from me." When she revealed the tidbit of information, my mouth actually dropped slightly.

"You smoke?" I asked in surprise. She had been living in my house for nearly two months, and I had never once seen her with a cigarette or smelled smoke on her.

She shook her head, not looking at me. "I…used to." She said simply. "When Edward was a teenager and things started to get really bad, I tried to use it as a stress reliever. It didn't work out so well when Edward started smoking when he was sixteen. I tried to get him to stop, but then he left home not long after that." Elizabeth said softly, and I gently put my hand on the small of her back. "So he kept smoking, huh?" She asked, and I pursed my lips.

"Only when we fight." I muttered. "Our when he's stressed out. So…he used to smoke a lot. I would try and take his cigarettes or hide them, but that would just make Edward angrier and he'd end up smoking more."

Elizabeth sighed, drying off the rest of the clean dishes. "How have things been lately?" She asked, and I knew that she wasn't trying to be nosy, but that she simply wanted to help and offer her input. It felt nice to have a mother figure in my life again.

"We haven't really _fought_." I said. "Not like we used to, anyway. It's more like…disagreements now." I told her, and then leaned heavily against the counter. Elizabeth smiled reassuringly and put her arms around my shoulders, squeezing gently.

"It's going to be fine, Bella. At least things are improving. Things could be worse, right?"

I nodded my head, trying to fight back tears. "Yeah, things could be worse." I said softly. "They could be like they were before." Elizabeth nodded and smiled sweetly at me, her eyes encouraging. "Thanks." I whispered. "I'm going to get to bed. Goodnight." I said, giving my mother in law a hug.

"Goodnight, Bella. I'll see you in the morning."

I headed up to the bedroom, quickly changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed with Edward. I laid my head on his chest and was able to relax when he wrapped his arms around me. I liked how he was always trying to get closer, even when he was asleep.

-----

"Ugh! Bella, will you give me a hand?" Edward called from the bedroom. I sighed and put down my curling iron and then poked my head out of the bathroom door and into the bedroom.

"What?" I huffed.

Edward looked over at his, hair eyebrows deeply furrowed. "Sorry." He said insincerely. "Will you tie this for me?" He asked, holding up his tie.

It had been two days since dinner at Rosalie and Emmet's, and it was Edward's first day back at work. This was a big deal. Not only did we really need this money, but Edward really needed to get back on track. "Yeah." I sighed grudgingly, walking out of the bathroom wearing just my pale blue bra and underwear set. Edward smiled appreciatively as he looked me up and down, but I simply tied his tie for him and then pecked him on the lips. "Good luck." I said in a hushed voice. "Love you."

"What's wrong?" Edward asked curiously, noticing my change in mood, but I just shook my head.

"Nothing. Just be careful, okay? Get to work safe…I love you, and I'll see you this afternoon."

Edward nodded, kissing me on the lips. "Love you too, Bella." He murmured, and then walked out of the room as I headed back into the bathroom to get ready for work.

After months of pain and turmoil, I just wanted things to get back to normal.

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**I have a new story out, it's called 'Commander in Chief'. Check it out if you have time!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry I've been MIA for a little while, but things have been getting seriously busy! I'm going to try and update again tonight after I watch the Oscar's, but I can't make any promises, seeing as I usually fall asleep during the ceremonies. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and I apologize again for another delay in updating.**

**Please review!**

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BPOV

Sitting in the teacher's longue, I aimlessly flipped through the mail, which I had picked up this morning on my way to work. I smiled when I opened a letter from our insurance company, relieved to see what it said. Since Jasper Whitlock hadn't had insurance at the time of the crash, Edward and I had been responsible for all bills and payments until our insurance company would pay up. And thanks to our shitty coverage and high deductable, insurance had taken forever to pay up, and now they finally were.

Jasper Whitlock also has to serve time in jail- but only for four months, which will probably end up being less. I can't even describe how angry I am with the justice system right now. But overall, what matters is that Edward is _awake_ and we're here together. I have to keep reminding myself of that, but it is true.

"Bella?" I snapped out of my thoughts when Jessica sat down next to me, a big smile on her face. "What's up?" She asked, and I shrugged my shoulders and started flipping through my mail again.

"Nothing much." I said easily, and then handed her a magazine. "Do you want this? I already read it." Jessica took the magazine and flipped it open, which effectively shut her up. I liked Jessica, but sometimes she was a little too much to handle. As I continued to go through my mail, I froze as my fingers hit a blue envelope, sent through first class mail, addressed to me. There was no return address, but the stamp was from Forks, Washington. My hometown, where I hadn't been for five years.

Why in the world would someone from Forks send me mail? Curious, I opened the envelope and my mouth dropped open slightly when I pulled out a newspaper clipping and a short note from Jacob Black, of all people.

_Bella,_

_I'm sorry to be bothering you, but I thought you would want to see this. I'm living in Washington now, on the reservation near Forks. I remember you telling me about your parents, so when I saw this in the newspaper I thought you would want to know. If you end up coming, feel free to stop by or call me. I'm really sorry for your loss, Bella._

_Jacob_

Confused, I picked up the newspaper clipping and folded it open. Staring up at me was a man I knew very well. We shared our brown eyes, wavy hair, and our surname. My father had _died_, and no one had bothered to tell me except for Jacob. My own mother hadn't even notified me! Disgusted, I started to read the obituary. My father had died the day before yesterday, late in the night. He was going to be cremated, the visitation was tonight, and the service was tomorrow. Listed under survivors was only my mother's name, with no mention of me at all.

Tears were flooding to my eyes now, but I wasn't exactly sure why. Charlie had never really been much of a father to me, especially in these past five years. But I still couldn't believe that he was dead, and no one had even found the decency to let me know.

"Um…are you okay?" Jessica spoke again, lightly touching my arm.

"I'm okay…just spaced out for a second." I said, blinking several times to avoid crying. "Um, but I need to make a phone call. You can keep that magazine." I quickly gathered up my things and hurried to my classroom, shutting the door behind me. I stood there for a long moment, unsure of wait to do. My hands were shaking as I reached for the phone and dialed Edward's work number.

He answered after two rings, and I took a deep breath so that I wouldn't start crying. "Hey, Bella." Edward's voice was a little rough, but I was still glad to hear him.

"Hey. Um…my dad died." I blurted out. "I'm…I'm going to go to Forks for the funeral, okay? I think I'll buy a plane ticket right now and leave from work. I should be home tomorrow night." Edward was silent for a moment, probably trying to digest what I had just said.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Your dad…he sounded like a good guy. How are you taking things?" Edward asked.

I hesitated, because I wasn't really sure. So much had been going on in life lately…this just seemed like another, terrible piece of the puzzle. "I'm going to be fine. My dad has never really been much of a parent, honestly. He worked a lot when I was younger and I hardly knew him. But I want this closure, okay? This is just something that I need to do for myself."

"Completely understandable. Be careful, Bella. I'll miss you and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks. I love you." I murmured.

"Love you too." Edward said, and then hung up the phone. I put my phone down as well, and took a deep breath so that I could try and clear my head. I was so grateful to Jacob for sending me that newspaper clipping, but I didn't know if I should stop by and see him, like he had suggested. Jacob had been such an amazing friend, that was true. But I had also seriously conflicted our friendship when I had kissed him that night. I didn't want to confuse things any further, because I was totally devoted to Edward and wanted to fix what we had in our marriage.

-----

It had been a miracle that I had been able to find a flight into Port Angeles on such late notice. But here I was. After a lot of thought, I decided that I would call and ask Jacob for a ride to my hotel. He had agreed, and now we were sitting in his car, basking in the awkwardness.

"So…I'm sorry about your dad." Jacob murmured, glancing at me quickly.

"Thanks." I said softly. "And thanks for the ride…and for telling me."

Jacob nodded, but didn't say anything else for a few minutes. "So how's your husband doing?" He asked. "I mean…you told me he woke up, so I know that…but has he been recuperating? I know that the physical therapy can be pretty intense after a coma."

"He's doing good. It was a little hard at first, but we've both been adjusting. His mother is also staying with us, and she's been a pretty big help." I paused awkwardly, wondering what else we could talk about. Things were so strained and forced between us now, ever since the kiss. Then again, that was all my fault. "Let's not talk about that anymore." I said in a falsely cheerful voice. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain." Jacob said easily. "My friend Seth owns a mechanic shop in La Push, so I moved out to the reservation and started working there."

Our conversation flowed much easier from there, and it was easy to forget what had happened between the two of us. Because Jacob really was easy to talk to, and he was also a good friend. I had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever, but it was still wonderful to have a friend like him.

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**So…I did end up bringing Jacob back. But I promise that from now on, there will be no romance or anything between him and Bella. They're just friends now!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie **


	20. Chapter 20

**So I'm watching the Oscars and decided that I was for sure going to update tonight! And our timeline is as follows:**

**-I'm going to say that we are about halfway through the story, maybe a little more than halfway. **

**-Some of you wondered why Bella was going to Forks when she should be working on her marriage. Folks, the answer is simple. She's going to learn something important in Forks, and that will result in a big change in Edward and Bella's relationship.**

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BPOV

I don't even know what I'm doing here.

Standing in the doorway of the church, wearing a plain black dress and heels, I feel completely lost. There are mourners all around me, but I still feel like I'm all alone. I pushed my long hair out of my eyes and took a deep breath, and then stepped forward into the church. I slipped into the last row, sitting down in the pew and keeping my head ducked.

Charlie Swan, while not the best of fathers, had been a friend to a lot of people. After twenty eight years on the police force, he also had a lot of co workers that he had known and befriended. I recognized a lot of people in the small church, all of them red faced and dressed in subtle black. Some of my classmates from high school were there, and I wasn't surprised. Not many people left Forks after high school. In some cases, like mine, people got lucky and got the hell out of Forks, Washington, and one to better things. And for me, Edward and Chicago had been my better things.

I remained stony and silent as the service began, but I could feel tears trickling down my cheeks as I saw my mother standing there crying. It took every ounce of my strength not to run up to her and try to comfort her the best I could. She was, after all, my mother, my flesh and blood. But she had abandoned me at a crucial point in my life, so I felt justified in doing the same.

The service went by painfully slow. I had to stop myself from crying, because I really did love my father. We had gone through a lot, and in the end I wish we hadn't left things that way we had. The last time I had seen Charlie, I told him and Renée that I was getting married and there was nothing they could do about it. I definitely didn't regret marrying Edward, but I did wish that we had waited for a little while and that my parents would have accepted it. I guess they just didn't realize that they could never keep me away from Edward, even under threat of estrangement.

And that was exactly what we were. Estranged.

It hurt to admit, but it was so painfully true.

-----

"Thanks for coming."

I stood by the door as I watched my mother say goodbye and thank to mourners, tears still in her eyes. The urn was sitting on a podium towards the front of the hall, and I found myself unable to even approach my father's ashes. I felt like I had _failed _him as a person and as a daughter.

I waited until most of the others had left, and then took a deep breath and stepped forward, stealing myself for when I came face to face with my mother for the first time in a long time. And when her eyes drifted over to me and met mine, I felt like a bolt of lightning was running through my body. No matter what, Renée Swan was always going to be my mother. As our eyes met, it became obvious just how much I had missed her and hadn't even realized.

"Hi, mom." I whispered, and I was afraid that she would ignore me, tell me to leave. But she didn't. She held her arms out to me, and I collapsed into them, unable to support myself any longer. We held onto each other with raw desperation, and for the first time that day, I allowed myself to cry. "I missed you so much." I whispered, holding onto her as tightly as I could. I was afraid that if I let go, she would leave me again. After everything, I don't think I would able to handle losing her again.

"Bella…" Renée whispered in my ear, hugging me so tightly that I felt like I would burst. "Baby, how did you know? I was too stupid and scared and hurt to call you, and I'm sorry I didn't. Your dad…"

"I know, mom. It's okay. A friend told me about what happened and I just had to come. I caught a plane from Chicago and just…came." I said as Renée released me and took a small step backwards, looking me up and down. "I'm going to have to go home tonight I guess. I don't have clothes or anything. I wish I could stay longer…"

Renée shrugged, and wiped at her eyes. "Would you mind staying with me for tonight? I still have some of your old clothes…I bet that they'll fight. I understand if you can't but…if you could it would be great. I don't know if I want to be alone."

I nodded my head without thinking. "Um, yeah, okay." I hesitated for a moment. "I'll…I'll have to call Edward and tell him. And I'll have to call in sick from work. But yes, I would love to stay."

Because I really would. After being apart for such a long time, I half expected Renée to spit in my face and make me leave. But she was willing to forgive, like so many other people in my life. Edward had forgiven me for cheating on him and for so many other things, Jacob had forgiven me for leading him on, and my other friends had forgiven me for complaining to them constantly. I knew that I had hurt Renée and Charlie, without a doubt. I was only eighteen years old when I up and told them that my twenty two year old boyfriend was now my fiancé, and that we were getting married so matter how they felt. And then I had left and hadn't seen them since.

That had been the last time I had ever seen my father.

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**Yep, a bit short but come on, the Oscars are on!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, this is going to sound really uncouth, but…**

**Please, please, **_**please**_** do not go to my other stories and review, asking me to update this one. I love you all so much for reviewing, and I'm sorry, but that it a bit rude. I promise you that I will update whenever I can get a chapter done, okay? It's really rude of you certain people to go onto my other stories just to tell me to update this one. Do not worry, this story will be finished and I refuse to abandon it. I've just hit a little wall and I'm trying to work through it. Also, I'm six months pregnant, and I refuse to stay up late at night and force myself to get a chapter out. It's not going to happen, although I will always try to get chapters out within a reasonable time…but it's only been eleven days since I've last updated. I understand you asking me to update while reviewing **_**this **_**story, but please do not do that on my other stories. It's really just rude and tacky and pushy. **

**Like I said, sorry for that little rant, but **_**really**_**. Whew.**

**I'm done now.**

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BPOV

It was so strange being back here. I sat in the living room of my childhood home, not sure of what to do. Renée and I were silent, looking at anything and everything except for each other. Finally, Renée broke the silence. "What's going on in your life?" She asked, and she even made an effort to sound interested.

"Things have gotten a lot better than they were." I said, and then I forgot that my own mother didn't even know about what has been going on in my marriage. "Edward and I…things got a little complicated for a while." I admitted, my voice cracking annoyingly. "But then a few months ago Edward got in a bad car accident and I was on my own for awhile…almost ten months. He's fine now, but it really has been hard to get through." I paused, wiping tears from my eyes. "I missed you mom." I whispered, crying freely now.

Renée was crying as well, and pulled me into her arms. "I missed you too…after all that you've gone through I feel so terrible that I was never there for you. It must have been so hard, you're so young.

I nodded, burying my face into her neck. "It _is_ hard. I don't know what to do. I…I don't want to lose him but things still aren't completely right." I sobbed, and Renée continued to comfort me in a way that only a girls' mother can. She told me that I was beautiful and smart and perfect and that she loved me. It felt so wonderful. Elizabeth had been unfailingly sweet to me, and Edward had been trying harder, but it felt amazing to have my mother say such beautiful things to me after such a long estrangement.

Eventually, I stopped crying and managed to compose myself, hiccupping slightly as I rested my head against Renée's shoulder. "Mom?" I asked in a soft voice, staring down at my hands.

"Hmm?" Renée asked softly, looking down at me.

"About two months before Edward's accident, I thought that I was pregnant." I said softly, keeping my eyes trained on the floor. "I didn't know how to tell him, but I was really happy about it. I love kids, and I've always wanted to have children. The night that I planned to tell him what I thought, I got my period. I was so upset…I could barely control myself. We had fought about kids before, but now I was on a rampage. I wanted a baby." I paused, taking a deep breath. "When he got home I confronted him, telling him that I wanted us to have a baby as soon as possible." Again, I paused, fighting to take a deep breath. "Edward was so _mad_. He didn't understand why I was pushing him and said that I needed to stop doing it, and then he left…and got in the accident." I was sobbing again, unable to control myself any longer. "I still want a baby, mom, but I have no idea how to bring it up." I managed to choke out through my tears. "I haven't told anybody else that." I added, trying to calm myself down all over again.

Renée was silent for a long moment, she simply held me. What felt like hours passed until she finally spoke. "Then what are you doing here?" She asked me softly, and I ceased my crying, looking up at her with confusion.

"Because dad…he…the funeral." I blabbered, but Renée shook her head, pushing the hair out of my eyes.

"My beautiful girl, I so appreciate you coming here for me…but you need to get things right now, that should be your main priority. Now that your father…" Her voice faltered for a moment, but then grew strong again. "Now that your father is gone, there are so many little things I wished I had shared with him, and so many things I wish I had found the courage to bring up. If you want to change things, it is all up to you at this point."

I let these words sink in, stunned. She was right. Especially after the accident…there was nothing I could keep from Edward now. Ever since I had almost lost him, it had made me realize how easily the love of my life could be wrenched from my grasp by greater powers. In all reality…I didn't have a lot of times to make things good before they started to completely fall apart again. "Thank you." I whispered to Renée, softly kissing her cheek. "And I'm sorry for the leaving the way that I did when I graduated. I know that you were just trying to protect me, and I really wish that I could have realized that in the first place. Because I really have missed you so much.

After a tearful goodbye and promises for another visit, I got on a plane back to Chicago with a plan to save my marriage from utter destruction and ruin.

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**Sinus headache…but on the plus side my birthday is on April 12…only twenty four days from now. Also, please check out the 'Cougar Revolution' contest and vote for your favorites! I can't tell you the name of my entry, but it is there so please read the stories, there are only seven there.**

**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2230877#**

**And again, I am sorry for the rant up at the top, but seriously guys! Well…it was only a couple of people and I don't want to take it out on you all!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	22. Chapter 22

**Eep….it's been another month. Sorry about that, but thanks for sticking with me. This story is drawing to a close, we only this chapter and then an epilogue left now. As always, thank you for reading and please make sure to review.**

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BPOV

I must have looked like a woman possessed. The whole time on my flight back to Chicago, I was a wreck. I sat there, unable to formulate what I really wanted to say to my husband. Our lives had been shaken so badly, and in fear of scaring him off I've been keeping to myself. But that's not how it's supposed work; I should have told him from the start how badly I wanted children. Instead of yelling at him and constantly pushing him towards having a baby, I should have sat down and told him things straight out. I had messed up a lot, but there was still time for me to fix it.

Once the plan finally touched down in Chicago, I was off like a rocket. I found my car in record time and peeled out of the parking. The entire drive home, I was trying to figure out how to word things and how to get my message across without totally ambushing Edward. But I still couldn't get my thoughts together; I was too nervous and scared and stressed. I didn't want to end up like my mother- married one day and widowed the next, still holding little grudges and holding back feelings. I wanted things out in the open now, especially after I've experienced how easily life and loved ones can be taken away from you.

By the time I got back to the house, I still had no idea what I was going to say, I just knew that it needed to be said. Rain pelted down on me as I hurried inside the house, fumbling with my keys to unlock the front door. When I flung the door open and hurried into the house, Edward stepped into the hallway, surprised to see me back so early. As I made eye contact with my husband, I was totally and completely overwhelmed with emotion and teras became to fall down my face.

Edward pulled me into his arms, concerned. "What's wrong, Bella?" He asked, kissing my face repeatedly as if he was trying to kiss all of my tears away.

"I don't want one of us to die before we get things out in the open. I don't want to live a lie…I want to tell you everything." I blurted out, burying my face into Edward's chest. "I love you so much, I don't want to keep messing up."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down." Edward urged, cupping my face in his hands and tilting my head up so that I was looking him straight in the eye. "What are you talking about?"

I sniffled, trying to regain some of my composure. "Last year, right before your accident, I thought I was pregnant." I confessed, and I watched as Edward's eyes widened. "The night of the accident…I found out that I really wasn't. That was why I was so angry, why I was yelling at you about having children." I swallowed a couple of times, trying to find the strength to continue. "I know that you've never been crazy about children, so I never told you how badly I wanted, and still want, to be a mother."

Edward stared at me, his features overcome with utter confusion. "Oh, Bella…why…why didn't you say anything? You let me go on and on about not having children even when you felt that way? Why didn't you just _tell _me? We could have…" He trailed off, his eyes glassy. "We could have avoided so much pain."

"I didn't want you to leave me." I whispered weakly, clutching tightly to my husband. "I know I was stupid, but oh god, Edward, I still want a baby so bad." I admitted, and Edward stiffened slightly, his arms still wrapped around me.

He pulled back slightly, looking down at me. "You're twenty five years old." He reminded me gently. "We still have time." My shoulders sagged slightly; I thought he was still saying no. But then he cocked his head, looking at me quizzically. "You really want a baby?" He asked softly, and I nodded, pressing my face back into his chest. Edward kissed the top of my head softly, stroking my hair as he did so. "One condition." Edward whispered in my ear, and my heart started to race. "We aren't going to start trying until we figure some more things out about our relationship. We can't bring a child into this world if we aren't on the same page with what is happening in our life together."

At his words, I stopped crying and gripped his stubble covered chin in my hand, forcing his lips to mine as I kissed him desperately. "Okay." I said against his lips before deepening the kiss considerably and twisting my fingers around in his hair. "I love you so much." I said, and Edward tangled his hands in my hair, still wet from the rain. "Oh my god, thank you." I groaned, and I felt Edward's long fingers start to peel my wet jacket off of my body.

"I love you too." Edward ground out, and he broke our kiss briefly so that he could speak clearly. "Come on, upstairs." He said, taking me by the hand and practically dragging me into our bedroom. He shut the door behind us pulled me into his arms again, kissing my neck urgently. Edward laid me out on the bed, looking down at me with hunger in his eyes. "You are so beautiful, Bella." He said softly, and I felt his fingers start to pull down the zipper of my dress.

I remained still, just watching him as he looked down at me. Then I reached up, pulling off his tee shirt easily and letting it fall to the floor. We were both silent as we continued to undress each other, just looking and feeling and seeing. His hands had never felt so good on my body, his mouth had never felt so tender against mine, and he had never felt so perfect when he was inside of me.

We still weren't perfect. Both of us were still very much broken inside, but there was now a light at the end of the tunnel. I now knew that, without a doubt, we could do this. We loved each other far too much to let our marriage fall apart; that much was clear.

-----

"I want you to stop smoking. For good."

"I want you to tell me what's wrong instead of just getting mad."

"I want you to think about how I feel when you yell at me."

"I want _you_ to think about how _I_ feel when you yell at _me_." Edward retaliated.

"I want you to consider my feelings when you make a decision." I said, and Edward hesitated briefly.

"I want you to at least ask me before saying yes to something."

It had been like this for a few weeks now. Every single night after dinner, Elizabeth would either go upstairs or go out of the house, and Edward and I would talk about our problems, both old and new. It was enlightening, for me to find out some of the things Edward had been holding back.

And there were also good things that we were finding out about each other. Although Edward had always told me that he loved me and that I was beautiful, but when told each other so much more now.

"I think your eyes are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Well, your eyes are just as beautiful then. It would be a tie." Edward amended.

"I love the way your hair looks when you wake up in the morning."

"The way your hair looks down around your shoulders is perfect."

"You're the prettiest guy I've ever laid eyes on."

"You're the prettiest _girl_ I've ever laid eyes on."

But there were more than just physical things we were discovering. On one particular day, about a month after your initial discussion, we branched off to a new topic.

"I think the way you care about your mother is inspiring."

"The way you went to your father's funeral was so sweet of you."

"Your laugh makes me laugh, and your smile makes me smile."

"Every time I see you, I remember all the reasons I love you."

"I'm sorry for not telling you all of this before."

"So am I."

"I think…I think I might be ready." When Edward said this, I think my heart may have stopped a little. I looked at him with wide eyes, and Edward smiled crookedly. "You and I, Bella, that is what I want. I want to make a baby with you, my love."

"I love you."

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**Only an epilogue left! I really don't know when it will be posted, but it shouldn't be too long. Just be patient and I will work on it.**

**Please review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	23. Chapter 23

**The finale gets the long anticipated EPOV! I'm sorry the last couple of chapters have taken so long…but this is it. Thanks for sticking with me and reading and reviewing and being so amazing. Really, your reviews just blow me away. I'm sorry I don't reply to all of them, but I do read them and they mean a lot to me. Now that this story is done…I'm pretty relieved. Writing it has kind of been a tearjerker, if you know what I mean. And now, I can focus more on my other stories, because I've gotten in over my head a little bit. Unfortunately the ideas just keep coming…so I'm just trying to type them all up now. Again, thank you oh so much, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**The epilogue is in two parts- the next one will be up soon.**

……

EPOV, One Year Later

As I kept a close eye on my wife, with her hands folded on top of her swollen belly, I was overcome with yet another wave of fear. In a few hours, Bella would give birth to our firstborn child. It was the scariest thing I had faced since…well, since the accident. Since the day that I told Bella I was ready to have children, our lives had changed even more than they already had previously.

I had thought it would take longer for Bella to get pregnant. It wasn't that I wasn't ready, it was just that I was still scared. But only two months after we started trying, Bella took a positive pregnancy test. And our lives were on the fast track from there. My mother was thrilled, to say the least. She and Bella were quite the pair- they spent hours upon hours reading through baby books and looking through furniture catalogs. Bella was confident and excited, to say the least. She had read all the books, talked to both her mother and mine, and gone to plenty of childbirth classes. As she told me when her contractions started, she was ready. I, on the other hand, was far from ready. Becoming a father certainly was exciting, but I was also terrified. I didn't know _how_ to even be a father. I had no father figures in my life, and I hadn't since I was a teenager when I last spoke to my own father…my only example was a wife beater that I hadn't seen since I was sixteen years old.

But Bella was so excited. I saw the ways her big brown eyes lit up when we saw the ultrasounds, the way she would stroke her growing stomach, and the way she smiled whenever the topic came up. She was more beautiful than I had ever seen here, and that was saying something.

Things were still a little rough towards the beginning of Bella's pregnancy. We had talked out a lot of our issues, and had seen a marriage counselor, so things were ever so slowly being absolved. But seeing Bella so alive and happy was making me fall more and more in love with her, and it was getting much easier now.

"Edward!" I shot out of my seat when Bella cried out, fisting her hands in the scratchy hospital bed sheets.

"What? Are you having a contraction?" I asked stupidly, and Bella managed to roll her eyes at me as she gritted her teeth. I gripped her hand tightly, wiping the sweat from her brow as she tried to breathe through the contraction that was ripping through her petite body.

The doctor had been worried about the size of the baby- Bella was very petite, barely standing at five foot four inches and weighing just over a hundred pounds. And by the time Bella had reached thirty seven weeks, her doctor decided that the baby was going to grow even more and that it was time for Bella to be induced. And that's where we are now. We had been in the hospital for a little over fourteen hours now, and Bella was nine centimeters dilated. It would only be about an hour now, and we would be welcoming our child into the world.

Bella flopped back onto the bed, breathing heavily through her nose. "It shouldn't be too much longer now." She murmured. "Maybe you should get our mom's up here…and Esme and Rosalie." I nodded in agreement, promising to get her more ice chips on my way to the waiting room. As I walked down the hallway, I fisted my hands in my hair and tried to relax. This was happening. It had all become so much more real the moment we had walked into the hospital, and now we were getting close.

Renée, Rosalie, Esme, and my mother were all waiting in the reception area, talking amongst themselves. As soon as I walked through the door, my mother was at my side, her face bright with curiosity. "Well?" She asked eagerly, and I put my arm around her waist.

"An hour." I said weakly, and my mother hugged me tightly.

"Oh, Edward, this is going to be amazing, you'll see." She gushed.

"I know." I murmured, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, and Bella wants you and Renée and me to be in there during the delivery." I added, looking over my mother's head to Renée.

The women all clamored towards Bella's room, and I hurried to get her some more ice chips. By the time I got back to the room, Bella was having another contraction and Rosalie, Esme, Renée, and my mother were flitting around her, trying to calm her down. I sat down on the edge of Bella's bed, knowing that there was nothing I could do to help her but be supportive. Once the contraction died down, I moved a sweaty piece of Bella's hair behind her ear. "Ice chips?" Bella asked, sitting up a little bit.

I nodded, handing her the cup. She started crunching on the ice chips, looking exhausted. Just then, the doctor walked in, and after checking on Bella, told us that it was time.

……

It had all moved so fast up to this point, and now everything was slowing down. Renée and my mother and I had to get scrubs on, and then we were able to join Bella in the delivery room. She looked so small; surrounded by nurses and doctors. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, and her breathing was heavily labored. "Hi." She said in a small voice.

"Hi." I murmured, taking her small hand in mine as soon as I reached her side.

Bella took a shaky breath, looking at me with wide eyes. "I'm scared." She whispered, and I stared at her, confused.

"Honey, you're ready for this. You've read all the books and gone to the classes-" I started to prove her wrong, but as usual, Bella interrupted me.

"It's more than just the _birth_, Edward." She said earnestly. "I'm ready for_ that_ part; I know what's going to happen to my body." Bella took a deep breath, clutching tighter to my hand. "But the books don't teach you how to be a good mother." She choked out, looking terrified again, and my heart went out to her.

I kissed the top of her head. "I honestly think you are going to be one of the best mothers to ever walk the face of the earth." I said, and that was true. "You are so kind and caring and loving, and you want this so badly. When we have this baby, it's all going to change. It might be scary and difficult, but we can do it together, right?"

Bella nodded, and I pecked her on the lips. Renée and my mother stood on the other side of the bed, beaming at Bella and I. And right then, the doctor said that this was it. "Okay, Bella, this is the time to start pushing." He said, and Bella looked at me before clutching onto my hand and my mother's hand, while Renée stood by the doctor, excited to see her grandchild for the first time. Bella started to push, and we all called out encouragingly. "Big push, Bella, and the baby will crown." The doctor said, and Bella groaned loudly before pushing even harder than she already was.

"Oh, sweetheart, there's the head!" Renée called out excitedly, clapping her hands together. Bella, totally exhausted and worn out, managed a small smile, still pushing as hard as she could. "And the nose…and chin…and shoulders, oh the baby is so beautiful…"

And then our son or daughters cries pierced the air, and it was done.

……

**One chapter left! It will also be in EPOV and will focus on their family life! Please review and let me know what you thought!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	24. Chapter 24

**First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there. This is my first ever mother's day, since I'm due on May 26! I hope you all have a great day with your mom's or your kids and all the people you care about. **

**Secondly, this is it. The final chapter of the story. After much deliberation, I decided the gender of the baby, and you'll find that out in the second paragraph of this chapter. And my husband picked the name out for me, because I've been looking over so many baby names books that I can't take it anymore.**

**Anyway, read and enjoy the last chapter, and please let me know what you think!**

……

EPOV

Bella was asleep, and everything was quiet. I sat back in the uncomfortable recliner, observing my wife. She looked peaceful and relaxed, even though she had just given birth two hours ago. It was early morning, and our mothers and Bella's friends had left shortly after the birth, saying that they would be back later in the morning to visit Bella and the new baby when they were both more alert.

Just then, I heard a little whimper and I quickly got up, walking over to our son before he could wake Bella up from her much deserved sleep. Unable to contain my smile, I picked Braden up in my arms, cradling him to my chest. Slowly, I made my way back to the recliner and sat down, looking down at my son. He was two hours old, and the most wonderful thing I had ever seen. He had thick reddish hair, a button nose, and pudgy little cheeks. And I still couldn't get over the fact that he was my _son_. Braden Charlie Cullen.

"Hi." I whispered, playing with one of his hands. His little fingers curled around my index finger, his grip surprisingly strong for an infant. "I'm your daddy." I informed him. Then I looked over at my wife's sleeping form, smiling. "And that's your mommy over there sleeping. But she'll be up soon and then you can see her." I promised. I looked back down at Braden and his baby blue eyes were open, hazy and beautiful. I stared down at my son for a long moment, and then reached up and touched one of the scars on my cheek, grazing it with my index finger. "Before your mommy and I decided to have you, we didn't get along so much." I whispered; a confession. "But then I got hurt. And your mommy _still_ took care of me, even though I couldn't do the same for her. She wanted you so badly, little guy, and I took that away from her. I was selfish." I sighed, stroking Braden's soft forehead with the pad of my thumb.

He was so innocent, and it was our job to protect him. "I got in an accident." I continued, recalling what Bella had told me. I still didn't remember the accident, which was probably for the best. "And then when I was better, your mommy and I eventually decided that it was time for you to come into your lives." I paused, still gazing at my son. "It's going to be our job to take care of mommy from now on." I said seriously. "You and I, we'll be the men of the house."

I heard a soft laugh and I looked up to see Bella lying in bed, propped up on her elbow as she watched the two of us. "Giving him the facts of life?" She asked, teasing gently. I nodded wordlessly, and then stood up and brought Braden over to Bella so that she could feed him.

"Maybe." I said with a smile as Bella took Braden from me, smiling as well. "How do you feel?" I asked.

"Sore. Tired. Happy." Bella said simply, looking down at our son as he started to nurse. "He's our responsibility." She said softly. "Do you think…" She faltered for a moment, adjusting Braden in her arms as he continued to nurse. "Do you think we'll get the hang of this whole thing?" Bella asked me earnestly.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking Bella's cheek gently. "I know we will." I whispered, leaning down and pecking her on the lips. "We both know it's going to be challenging, especially at first, but we've got each other, and my mom can give us a hand." Bella nodded wordlessly, focusing on Braden. I was quiet for a little while longer, just watching my wife and son. "I love you." I said softly, and Bella looked up at me, a wide smile on her face.

"I love you too."

……

Five Years Later:

"Look! Daddy, look at me!" I turned my head towards the direction of the commotion, laughing when I saw my three year old son, Matthew, waving his arms excitedly as he showed me the inflatable water wings Bella had just put on him. "Can we go swim now?" Matthew asked desperately, hurrying away from his mother and trotting over to my side. "Mommy said you'll take me." He added.

I scooped him up in my arms, making him laugh loudly as I walked over to wear Bella was sitting on the end of a pool chair. "Doesn't this little vagrant belong to you?" I teased, shaking Matthew gently. Bella just laughed, stretching out on her chair.

"No, that one is yours." She teased me right back. "And so is that one." She added, just as Braden ran up and threw his arms around me.

"Dad, are you taking us into the water?" He asked impatiently, yanking on my arm as I sat Matthew down on his feet.

"Yeah, yeah, come on." I sighed, leaning over to peck Bella on the lips. "You coming in?" I asked, and Bella nodded, standing up with.

"It's too hot." She complained, rubbing her swollen belly. "I probably should have just stayed inside."

I shook my head, ruffling my son's hair as we walked to the edge of the pool. "It's the last time we'll be able to use the pool until next summer." I reminded my wife, who was six months pregnant with our third child, our first little girl. "Besides, the water will cool you off." I promised, getting into the pool. I then helped Bella in, and then the boys got in. Braden could basically swim on his own, as long as he stayed in the shallow water. Matthew was only three, so he depended on his water wings, me, or Bella to help him.

The three of us splashed around aimlessly for a little while, and Matthew clung to me the entire time despite his water wings. "Daddy, what's this?" He asked curiously, touching my side, right between two of my ribs. I looked down and Bella did as well, the corners of her lips pulled down into a slight frown.

"It's just a scar, buddy. It's old." I assured him, but I gently touched the circular scar between my ribs, where I had been intubated nearly six years ago. Matthew let it drop, but when I looked over at Bella I saw that her eyes were full of tears. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked gently, pulling her over to my side as Matthew continued to cling to me and Braden smiled in circles around us.

"I almost lost you then." Bella explained with a shrug, wiping her eyes. "I just…I guess it's just hard for me to remember sometimes." She said softly, and I kissed the tip of her nose.

"I could always get it taken care of." I reminded her softly for what seemed like the fortieth. "Do you want me to?"

Bella shook her head quickly, touching the scar with her fingertips. "No." She said simply, shaking her head. "These scars, and these," she reached up to touch the faint scars on my cheeks and jaw "remind me of who we are, and of what we've been through. And through all of the shit," She winced, looking down at Matthew "I mean, all the _stuff_ we had to deal with, I love you more than ever."

I smiled, leaning down and kissing Bella on the lips, threading my fingers in her long brown hair. "I love you too."

……

**The end. I just had to make it fluffy, you know? Anyway, happy mother's day again and I hope you enjoyed. Please review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


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